Juneteenth, the annual celebration of the news that slavery ended in the United States, returns to Syracuse next month with more than a week of special events.
Syracuse Juneteenth is highlighted by the annual food, music and entertainment festival in Clinton Square on Friday, June 14 and Saturday June 15. There are several other events before and after that weekend.
“This is Juneteenth, the premier cultural celebration in Central New York,” said Rev. H. Bernard Alex, a Syracuse Juneteenth board member, during today’s announcement of the event schedule.
The announcement took place is in front of the Jerry Rescue Monument in Clinton Square. Alex noted the freeing of the enslaved man, William “Jerry” Henry, from a Clinton Square jail cell in 1851 as a symbol of Syracuse’s long tradition of embracing freedom.
Juneteenth (June 19) marks the day at the end of the Civil War in 1865 that Union troops told the last slaves (in Galveston, Texas) that they were free. It has been celebrated in the African-American community ever since and became a federal holiday in 2021.
This year’s Syracuse Juneteenth has support from several sponsors, including the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County, Micron and Empower Federal Credit Union, said Kevin Henry, president of the Juneteenth board.
“We are thankful for all the support we get from the community,” Henry said.
He also took special note of the Juneteenth night at a Syracuse Mets game at NBT Bank Stadium, which coincides with the first day of the festival. Syracuse Mets mascot Scooch attended the announcement.
Here’s the full schedule of Syracuse Juneteenth events (check the Juneteenth web site for updates and more details):
SATURDAY, JUNE 8
· Let Me Be Great Again Basketball Tournament at Barry Park, 600 Broad St.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9
· Miss Juneteenth Pageant at Community Folk Art Center, 805 E. Genesee St.
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
· Flag Raising Ceremony at Syracuse City Hall. 1 pm
· Juneteenth Celebration at NBT Bank Stadium. Syracuse Mets vs. Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Game starts at 6:35 pm Includes Juneteenth jersey giveaway and post-game fireworks
· Juneteenth Festival in Clinton Square. Gospel performances, community organizations, health and human service agencies, food vendors, and retail vendors. 2 to 10 pm
SATURDAY, JUNE 15
· Victory Parade. Step off from the Dunbar Center at 11 am and arrive in Clinton Square at approximately noon.
· Juneteenth Festival in Clinton Square. R&B performances, community organizations, health and human service agencies, food vendors, and retail vendors; continuation of Friday’s festivities. Starts when the parade arrives and ends at 10 pm
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19
· Ancestral Celebration at City Hall Atrium, 201 E. Washington St. 6 pm $75 admission.|
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at [email protected]or follow him at NYup.comHon Twitter or Facebook.
