Ypsilanti is kicking off its 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on June 16.
Located in downtown Ypsilanti in the South Huron Parking Lot, attendees can expect local vendors, community organizations, live performances, and giveaway contests. All during a weekend of community gathering June 16 through June 18.
“People should come out and celebrate, we will be alongside community members standing together in unity, celebrating the freedom of Juneteenth,” Trische Duckworth, planning committee member of the Juneteenth celebrations, said. “But also, we will recognize the work ahead, because we still have major work to do. As one of my dear friends once said, celebrate black joy, but don’t ignore black pain.”
Friday the 16th starts with the Divine 9 Community Mixer and shines a light on community organizations. Guests can learn more about these organizations from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“This celebration gives us the opportunity to pay homage to the Divine 9 as we learn about the great foundation they stand on,” Duckworth said. “I think a lot of people don't understand that it's not just about the letters and the colors. It's a deep lineage of organizations that were right in the freedom fight back when they were founded.”
Saturday will feature hustle lessons from 11 a.m. to noon. Afterwards, there will be programming starting with a parade for the youth. Headlining acts begin at 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with many artists performing the remainder of the day.
Sunday wraps up the Juneteenth celebrations with a Juneteenth Sunday service at 1 p.m., followed by Gospel and Giggles Comedy Hour from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The first Ypsilanti Juneteenth celebration began in June of 2021.
“In 2021, we were blessed to be able to do Black Lives Matter murals in Riverside Park and downtown Ypsilanti,” Cherisa Allen, additional member of the celebration’s planning committee, said. “We wanted to have an unveiling celebration of the murals and it just so happened to fall around Juneteenth. We had many entities working to make Juneteenth a national holiday and we were grateful to meet with the City Council who allowed us to have a celebration we've just been moving forward ever since.”
Allen and other members of the committee hope to grow Ypsilanti’s Juneteenth celebration throughout the next five years.
“We’re looking to make this celebration bigger in the next coming years. By year five, we want everybody in the city of Ypsilanti downtown dancing and marching with us in the streets.”
Allen looks forward to sharing with audience members and participants the “why” behind the Juneteenth celebrations as part of Saturday’s agenda. Attendees can also catch her hosting on Sunday.
“Celebrating is a word of action and that's what we're doing,” Allen said. “We're showing off our business owners, our entrepreneurs, we're showing off our food, and those who have skills. We're showing off our black women, our choirs, and dignitaries because we in the black community – we as a community, have what it takes to grow this and get the job done.”
This event is free to the public. For more information on Ypsilanti’s Juneteenth celebration, visit the planning committee’s Facebook page
