'It's not just Black history. It's American history:' Doylestown holds inaugural Juneteenth celebration
At 73 years old, Zelda Davis never expected to see a Juneteenth celebration in the town she grew up in. She said diversity was hard to find in the predominantly white suburb of Doylestown.
So, Davis had much to celebrate on Sunday's inaugural Juneteenth event at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown Borough. The celebration was held on the green outside of the museum with dozens of Black-owned vendors lining the field, a sight Davis described as “beautiful.”
“Coming together with different organizations here in Doylestown, oh the love that it brings. It's just amazing those that are here and those that are selling. This is just fantastic,” said Davis, who now resides in Buckingham.
Adrienne King, one of the event organizers, said the lack of Black culture-centered events in upper and central Bucks motivated her to help create the first-ever Juneteenth event in the Borough.
“I’ve had to drive 40-plus minutes into Philadelphia or go somewhere else with a more diverse population to have a celebration like this. And I don't think we should have to do that,” said King, who lives in Perkasie. “I have two elementary school kids and I want them to remember growing up and going to stuff where they live that represented them in their culture.”
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While this was Doylestown’s first Juneteenth event, the holiday has been celebrated by African-American communities in the United States for over 150 years, with it being recognized as a national U.S. holiday in 2021. Juneteenth originated in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, when the enslaved people there finally received word about Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two years earlier in 1863.
The long history of the holiday was a central focus of the event on Sunday with a Juneteenth Freedom Day Proclamation reading and re-enactment performed on stage. Kevin Leven, a member of the Juneteenth planning committee, looked deep into Black history in Bucks County in preparation for the event. He created a scavenger hunt of stops within the county that were part of the Underground Railroad.
“Thousands of escaped slaves came through Bucks and it's important for people to remember that we had a presence here and continue to have a presence here,” said Leven, who is from New Hope and co-leader of the Bucks County Anti-Racism Coalition.
In the age of the internet and disinformation, the opportunity to educate the younger generation in a fun atmosphere was also important to Angela Nutter, of the planning committee.
“Misinformation is so widespread right now. There are a lot of miscommunications. People just don't understand something that they haven't learned. Now, the narrative has faded so to talk about our history is really controversial,” said Nutter, from Doylestown Borough.
“We need to understand that it’s not just Black history, it's American history,” she added.
Sunday’s celebration became a reality due to collaborations between several local organizations, including the PairUP Society, Bucks County Anti-Racism Coalition, NAACP Bucks and the African American Museum of Bucks County.
The day was jam-packed with entertainment including live music from the choir at the Second Baptist Church of Doylestown, food trucks and children’s activities.
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When reflecting on the rich history of Juneteenth, Davis said Sunday’s event highlights the progress that has been made within the Black community.
“It just shows that those back 100 more years ago would have never have dreamt that what they started in Texas, would go as far as it has today,” said Davis.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Doylestown holds first ever Juneteenth event
