Eau Claire to partake in 24th annual celebration for Juneteenth

EAU CLAIRE — Berlye Middleton, president of United Bridges, is proud to help make a gathering celebrating Juneteenth in the area a reality for its 24th year.

Juneteenth celebrates the commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the enslaved. Its first celebration was in 1865, and the day became a federal holiday in 2021. The holiday has been recognized statewide since 2009.

For Middleton, though, the need for a Juneteenth celebration in the area was not out of joy, but rather out of necessity.

“There had been some racial animosity taking place in Eau Claire,” said Middleton. “It still does, but it’s just more underground now. But, it was somewhat blatant in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and leading up to the turn of the century.”

He cited several instances at that time — minority candidates for city council having their signs vandalized or stolen; minority students and faculty of the university being made to feel unwelcome, resulting in them leaving the area; and even physical attacks.

“A black man was assaulted, and he was actually put in the hospital in critical condition,” recalled Middleton of one specific attack, “but while the assailant was assaulting him, he was using racial epithets. Then, it was reported later on that it was just a simple assault.”

Middleton, frustrated with the racial motivation of these crimes being ignored, joined others in forming a racial justice task force in the city. That task force went to the city council and requested some sort of action be done, and the group was given a small amount of funding to look into the issues at hand. Inspired by events in other cities like Milwaukee with their Juneteenth events, the task force used the funds to set up their own Juneteenth event in the area.

“We wanted to indicate that there are people who do not believe in racism; that those individuals can come together in harmony and we could meet at a single location and enjoy each other’s company as we get to know one another,” Middleton said. “And that’s what we did.”

Though the event started small — Middleton remembered there being maybe 20 people in attendance, 10 of whom were organizers — it then grew substantially, routinely getting hundreds of attendees each year. Middleton takes pride in the fact that the event started a number of years before Wisconsin’s recognition and decades before federal recognition of the event.

“We’ve been ahead of the curve for a long time,” he said. “People here really recognize the fact of the matter that this is important, and that this is a place that — at least for one day, for a couple of hours — you can go and you can see diversity taking place in our community.”

At this year’s event, like those of the past, will be completely free of charge. Middleton was adamant to point out that the event celebrates the freedom of the formerly enslaved, and that that the first part of freedom is “free.” Food (hot dogs) and beverages will be provided.

Along with food, drinks, children’s activities and the presentation of proclamations from the state of Wisconsin, several speakers and musicians will be presented throughout the day. One of the speakers will be Dekelen Griffin, the CEO of MBM Corp (Motivation Begins with your Mindset), which helps children who have been abused, neglected or trafficked. Also speaking will be Marquita Davis, who handles programs and initiatives at Mayo Clinic’s Office of Health Equity and Inclusion. Finally, the keynote speaker will be Ka Vang, who is now a director with World Relief, helping those seeking refuge in Eau Claire.

Scheduled to perform at the event will be a mainstay at Eau Claire’s Juneteenth events, Irie Sol. The band blends Jamaican chat and DJing with soulful soaring melodies. Also performing is Jeff Watkins, otherwise known as Casanova Brown, who will bring his classic R&B stylings.

Middleton hopes this year will bring another strong turnout for the event, but he stressed that making Juneteenth a reality was not just his doing. Rather, the event has grown and prospered because of the people in the area.

“The way my mindset works is, that this is something for the community. I just want the community to grab a hold of it,” he said.

After all, the Chippewa Valley is for all who want to partake in it. Middleton remembers those who left the area after being made to feel unwelcome, and he sees such incidents as being antithetical to the meaning of Juneteenth in the first place.

“With people of color here, this is your home; you came here for a reason. This is where you want to live. This is America. You should be able to live wherever you want to live,” he said. “Why would (race) have anything to do with where you can live? It just defies democracy, and it defies what we are all about in this country, let alone this small microcosm of our community.”