Two events Friday will celebrate Juneteenth in Tacoma
Friday marks the official day of celebration known as Juneteenth, and the Tacoma City Council recently issued a proclamation declaring Juneteenth Day.
Considered to be the longest-running African American holiday, Juneteenth is short for June 19. That is the day federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to ensure that all enslaved people were freed two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
In Tacoma, there are two events taking place to celebrate and commemorate the day. One is at People’s Park in Hilltop from 3-10 p.m., and the other is at Wright Park from 2-5 p.m.
The event at People’s Park, also meant to celebrate Pride, is being hosted by Tacoma Mutual Aid Collective (TMAC) and Black Youth Matters. Niko, an organizer with TMAC, spoke about what the organization does.
“We basically try to find out what needs our community has that they’re not getting met,” Niko said. “There are a lot of things that other organizations really don’t cover when it comes to people on the street and what items they need.”
In the past, that has included school lunch outreach and grocery delivery.
The celebration at People’s Park is new for TMAC but similar to other events it has hosted.
The plan is to have an open mic, a drag fashion show and local businesses providing food, including Bob’s Bar-B-Q Pit, The Fish House Cafe and vegan options from Quickie Too.
“Our entire vision here was we’ve had three weeks of protests in Tacoma and people continue that momentum,” Niko said. “Juneteenth is a day of celebration, Pride is generally a celebration, too, but they both come from protest.”
The protest history of Pride comes from the Stonewall Riots where Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender woman, led an uprising along with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera.
“We wanted to have a space in protest, but we’re going to protest in celebration this day,” Niko said. “For Black folks, to me, that’s still pretty radical. For a lot of Black folks, taking space for having fun and expressing joy is highly policed in this country. We just wanted to make a space where people can take a break from marching and feeling anger and just come and feel some community.”
There also are safety precautions in place for those in attendance.
“We will absolutely be providing masks. That’s actually something we’ve been doing for the past few weeks out of our supply hub at Alma Mater,” Niko said. “We have masks, gloves. For the food, we already have a pretty elaborate plan. Nobody is going to be touching anything — everything is going to be delivered prepackaged.”
At Wright Park, friends Tyree Smith and Re Young have put together an event that is a first for them as well. The two met playing basketball in middle school and have stayed friends since. A basketball competition will be a key component of their event.
Smith and Young said they hope their event highlights the Black Lives Matter movement and issues of racial inequality while also providing a breather from the recent protests and demonstrations and giving people a chance to socialize.
“Basketball honestly unites Tacoma, in my opinion,” Young said. “You can always meet somebody through basketball.
“Just meet somebody from a different lifestyle, a different experience and come to understand that person. Maybe you can come to understand what this movement is about and what we’re talking about and what we’re trying to do as people.”
Smith will be purchasing the food , and the plan is to find a good deal on BBQ.
“Everybody can kind of unwind from the fights that we’ve had,” Smith said. “This is a fight. This is definitely a turning point in our country. And it’s just a time for people to unwind and be with everybody in a chiller environment.
“We’re still pushing, we’re still fighting but let’s take a break. Take a breather. You don’t always know, but after the fact you realize it was needed.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
