Juneteenth marks the day when Black Texans celebrated the emancipation of slavery. The celebration has spread throughout the country, and every year, there are events such as festivals, concerts, and parades to celebrate the liberation of Black Americans. In 2021, President Biden–inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020–commemorated Juneteenth as a federal holiday. For the second year in a row, D.C. celebrated Juneteenth as a national holiday. On June 18, 2023, to celebrate Juneteenth, I decided to visit the neighborhood of Brookland and attend the Celebrate Juneteenth Festival.
Celebrate Juneteenth, founded by Soyini George and directed by Makeda Smith, is a festival that hosts Black-owned businesses, performers, music, and many more. For the second time, Celebrate Juneteenth hosted its festival on the Brookland Arts Walk. When I walked into the festival, I was admittedly pleased with the remix of Jumpin’ Jumpin’ by Destiny’s Child–courtesy of DJ M$NP–as I walked down the marketplace. There were many beautiful displays of fine art, performance, dance, fashion, and so much more.
Events and Vendors Hosted
The opening performance by Coyaba Dance lit up the faces of visitors. The dance they performed of the Moko Jumbie, a creature who originates from West Africa and stands tall as the god of retribution. With his height and power, he protects people from evil and walks across the ocean with slave ships to ensure that the enslaved and kidnapped are protected. The dancers who portray the Moko Jumbie walk on stilts and wear colorful clothing. I was very familiar with this tradition because of my Liberian heritage. In my culture, we also have gods, creatures, and demons that appear in our festivals and perform traditional dances.
Another event that occurred in the festival was the symbolism of the Juneteenth Flag with Levita Mondie. Visitors were given a blank coloring page of the Juneteenth Flag. As they colored in, they learned the meaning of each color and how it represents Black American liberation. The red of the flag means struggle and sacrifice, the black stands for Black people, and the green stands for wealth of the nature of Africa. The white star symbolized the emancipation of the enslaved people of Texas, the last to know that they were free.
I saw wonderful products from the Black-owned business that were being hosted. One business I visited was All Very Goods. I was attracted to the tote bags and pins that were being sold by vendors. All Very Goods’ belief is that “representation matters.” Their designs are full of imagery of Black power and liberation, womanism, and diversity. I left the vendor with about seven new pins for my sister and me. We love art, as we are both part-time illustrators, and we just couldn’t leave without buying a couple of items.
What Celebrate Juneteenth Taught Me
The Celebrate Juneteenth Festival was the first Juneteenth event I have ever attended, and I had a wonderful time. I have always felt hesitant about celebrating Juneteenth because I didn’t want to appropriate the culture of Black Americans. Yet, I realized that during this time of year, I could celebrate Juneteenth with my Black community by supporting their local businesses and spreading the history of this holiday and the culture they managed to build through triumphs and tribulations.