It’s a living legacy – one celebrating freedom and Black joy, triumphing over darkness and marching toward the future with hope. Short for June 19, Juneteenth honors the day federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the end of slavery in 1865, two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Harambee-based nonprofit Northcott Neighborhood House – a community center with job trainings, educational resources and a food pantry – is credited with bringing the celebration to Milwaukee 55 years ago. Over the years, the festival expanded with a pageant, gala fundraiser, a summer concert series, and, as of last year, a partnership with Summerfest.
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Nowadays, Milwaukee’s Juneteenth is a pillar of the festival season and one of the country’s largest and longest-running celebrations of its kind. It kicks off with the 9 a.m. Jubilee Parade: 400-plus revelers including city officials, children’s dance groups and marching bands streaming down Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. It’s followed by a buzzing marketplace of 375 vendors and activity and resource zones for teens, kids and veterans, with lots of dancing to top off the afternoon.
What can we expect at this year’s celebration?
The festival itself: the food, the fun, the fellowship. Friends seeing friends for the first time, for many of them, in decades. Families coming up to visit with their families here. The emphasis of this festival is a way for a community to show that all are welcome to come into the African American community and celebrate our history.
How has the identity of Juneteenth evolved?
In the early days, it was rightly branded and produced as an African American event by and for African Americans. I think the evolution has been good. It is now an American event … Black history is American history, and you can’t separate the two, even if you try. When you couple that with the fact we now have an official federal holiday, that is progress for our entire country.
What does the history of Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration say about the city, then and today?
I think 55 years really proves that the African American people and community are a major part of the fabric of Milwaukee. It cannot be denied.
Beyond the Festival
Juneteenth Pageant
JUNE 6 | NORTHCOTT NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE
Each year, this event crowns a Miss and Mister Juneteenth. The winning teens are awarded cash, prizes and scholarships, and a Little Juneteenth competition recognizes promising kids.
Freedom Ball
JUNE 12 | HARLEY-DAVIDSON MUSEUM
This gala introduces the pageant winners and honors people doing outstanding work in the Northcott community, with awards including Joanne Weston Community Commitment (named for a former Northcott director), Volunteer of the Year and Father of the Year.
Jazz & Blues Concert Series
JUNE 20-AUG. 29 | ROSE PARK
Starting the Saturday after Juneteenth, the 11 weeks of shows geared toward seniors and families feature local and national musicians, spoken-word artists and a closing gospel act.
