Minneapolis honors 'the fight for freedom' during Juneteenth celebrations
Juneteenth celebrations are in full swing across the Twin Cities, having kicked off on Friday with events scheduled through Monday, the actual holiday honoring the date enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas finally learned slavery had ended two years prior.
Events across the state are joining in the national Juneteenth theme of “Wave of Freedom.”
This year marks its first as a state holiday in Minnesota.
It has a long history in north Minneapolis, however. Some of its neighborhoods have historically been home to the city’s highest concentration of Black people. Local organizers have hosted Juneteenth celebrations there dating back to at least the 1980s.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Saturday, people across the north side flocked to different events to enjoy good music, food, and community.
The day started with a parade to Bethune Park.
The Juneteenth Community Board sponsored the event alongside Minneapolis Parks & Recreation Board, the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, NAACP and other organizations.
It featured performances by local talents like Jamecia Bennett and Bdot Croc, as well as a kite-building station (to represent a flight for freedom) and a Civil War living history exhibit. Event organizer Lee H. Jordan said he wants to keep Black history at the forefront of Juneteenth.
“It was more than just Galveston, Texas. There's a whole freedom story to tell,” said Jordan, who is also the Midwest and state director of the National Juneteenth Foundation. “Each state has its own freedom date and freedom story. We want those stories to come together so we can see the path that we took to get us to this point.”
The event included a COVID-19 vaccination booth and several local healthcare providers. Jordan said organizers wanted to center health and wellness, given the COVID pandemic.
Patricia Carter is a community outreach manager with Turning Point, a substance use disorder treatment organization based in north Minneapolis. She had a stack of workbooks on fighting drug addiction among other resources at her booth. Beyond sharing resources to help people, as an area resident, she was also just happy to be there.
“It's a beautiful thing, just being out here in the summer. It's nice outside and everybody you haven't seen for two or three years is back out in the community,” Carter said.
A few minutes away, the University of Minnesota hosted its second annual Juneteenth celebration on Plymouth Ave.
Held outside the UMN Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), the events links the University and local community, according to event director Terresa Moses.
“It just sort of adds backing and support to what community is already doing. I think that is super important for a university who claims to be one that is community engaged,” said Moses, an assistant professor of graphic design at its Twin Cities campus.
Moses said attendance more than doubled from last year.
Organizers intended the event to center Black resistance, rest, and joy. That looked like roller skating, a petting zoo, shops and food by northside vendors, community-led workshops, performances by Minneapolis-based artists.
At one booth, artists with a studio program at Public Functionary prompted people to imagine a future Juneteenth festival where all Black people are thriving.
“If you can’t envision your freedom, how are you going to get there?” said artist Leslie Barlow. “Being able to see it, envision it, allows you to go forth.”