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Juneteenth parade marchers gather at the Green.
A parade and a panoply of music, speeches, vendors, and community on the Green connected Dixwell and downtown for a celebration of a new national holiday honoring the history of Black freedom.
Those events were organized on Saturday — the beginning of the long weekend marking Juneteenth — by the Juneteenth Coalition of Greater New Haven, in collaboration with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO).
Festivities kicked off at 10 a.m. with a children’s sign making event at the Stetson public library branch at 197 Dixwell Ave.. The library was full of bags of donuts, boxes of markers, and enough goodwill and energy to go around.
The reason for the festivities was the coalition’s latest annual celebration of Juneteenth, a now-federal holiday marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Tex. on June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Diane Brown and Hanan Hameen-Diop founded New Haven’s Juneteenth celebrations in 2013. Back then, the event took place “under one small tent,” explained Brown; 10 years later, it has become much bigger. This upscaling is possible in part due to the sponsorship of the Arts & Ideas Festival, which provided infrastructure and a portion of the funding.
President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2021 making Juneteenth a national holiday. Local communities of Black people across the nation have celebrated Juneteenth for generations. While Brown would have been celebrating it anyway, she said on Saturday that federal acknowledgment has made a big difference. The national holiday means that businesses are closed, giving people the opportunity to go out and participate. “I’m glad that it’s being recognized. It deserves to be recognized,” said Brown.
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Making posters at Stetson before the parade kickoff.
Ana Mitchell, the community coordinator for CHRO, emphasized the importance of including children in the celebrations. She is eager to “take the opportunity to educate children and adults on what Juneteenth means,” stressing that not all learning occurs in school.
“We want them to know what their ancestors sacrificed so that they could have these opportunities,” she said. One of the opportunities that CHRO provides is the Kids Court Academy, a biweekly program that seeks to educate children about the law through accessible mediums like movies and art.
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Ezekiel Works makes a Juneteenth poster.
Among the Kids Court Academy attendees illustrating posters in the library on Saturday were nine-year-old twins Jeremy and Ezekiel Works, and 15-year-old Sreenidi Bala.
All three students were enthusiastic participants in the preparations for the event, ready to march at the front of the parade and present their speeches on stage at the Green. “They make me feel like our future is in good hands,” said Mitchell.
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Marching to the Green.
When the posters and signs were complete, their messages both colorful and inspiring, children and adults alike lined up outside the library to begin the parade. Accompanied by the Village Drill Team & Drum Corps, they began the procession through Dixwell to reach the New Haven Green.
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The Village Drill Team & Drum Corps.
The Village Drill Team & Drum Corps featured young people from a range of ages and all in red uniform. They marched like soldiers on a mission through the streets. Every so often the drums would strike up a new beat, and the drill team would adjust accordingly, throwing in new steps or pausing for a smart and well-executed performance. They were joined by hula hoop artist and performer Diamond Tree, who swung her hoop in elegant circles amidst the group of drummers.
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Diamond Tree hula hoops with students.
Once they reached the Green, Hameen-Diop helped the Commission of Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) distribute gift cards they presented to students of the Village Drill Team. While the stage was being set up, the children dispersed to browse the vendor’s stalls, replenish their energy with donuts and Smartfood, and practice their hula hooping with Diamond Tree.
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Hanan Hameen-Diop.
Hameen-Diop took the stage, calling everyone’s attention. She explained the history of Juneteenth to the students, reminding them that the very land they stood upon used to be a slave auction block. Juneteenth provides an opportunity to reflect on the past and celebrate the future.
“It’s not a show, it’s a collaboration,” said Hameen-Diop. “It’s a giving, it’s a sharing.” She made sure to acknowledge every person who had contributed to the growth of the event, which had come so far since its commencement. “From the beginning, it was about unifying, about being together,” said Hameen-Diop. “Our goal is to cover this whole Green,” she announced, and the crowd burst into applause.
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Enroue Onigbonna Halfkenny and Baba Bill Mathews perform the pouring of libations.
Enroue Onigbonna Halfkenny, a priest in the Yoruba tradition, and Baba Bill Mathews, one of the Senior Elders of the Council of Elders Dance African Brooklyn Academy, performed the pouring of libations to kick off the festivities. They provided a space to honor the ancestors and the progress that has happened since. Mayor Justin Elicker also stressed the appreciation of progress, noting how far New Haven has come in terms of awareness in only the past three years.
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Jeremy and Ezekiel Works present speeches.
Jeremy and Ezekiel Works each presented short speeches that they had written about Juneteenth. They told the story of its history: how, on June 19, 1865, the enslaved peoples of Galveston, Tex. finally learned that they were free, nearly two years after they had been legally emancipated. “Today, I am so happy our ancestors fought for freedom,” said Ezekiel. “We can honor our ancestors by trying for greatness in school and in life.”
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Sreenidi Bala presents a speech.
Sreenidi Bala presented a speech about Rev. Dr. Ronald V. Myers, the man who played a huge part in making Juneteenth a national holiday. Bala has been attending Kids Court Academy for three years, and she is active in spreading the word about injustice through social media and blogging. Her touching tribute to Myers brought awareness to his impact on civil rights, and served as a reminder on the importance of striving for change. “May his memory be an inspiration as we continue to fight for justice,” Bala said.
The Myers Family.
The late Rev. Dr. Ronald V. Myers’s wife, son, and daughter were in attendance, and came up on stage to accept the community’s thanks on his behalf. Ronelle Myers quoted her father with the poignant reminder that “none of us are free until all of us are free.”
Following the speeches, the stage played host to a variety of performances, including the Legendary Cold Crush Brothers, Kids Cook, and The Mystery of 64 Squares. Juneteenth may be a new federal holiday, but Saturday’s event showed that its legacy and future in New Haven is already established and thriving.
Wonderful that Juneteenth Coalition of Greater New Haven, the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), and the Arts & Ideas festival are working together to celebrate our newest federally recognized holiday Juneteenth! May there be many more celebrations of this holiday in the future.