OKC celebrates freedom — and a new national holiday — with Juneteenth festivities
Jabee believes Juneteenth is for everyone.
That's one of the reasons you won't see the rapper on the musical lineup of Oklahoma City's second annual Juneteenth on the East.
"I didn't want it to be the Jabee show. I wanted it to be the community's thing, because Juneteenth isn't Jabee's. It's everybody's," he told The Oklahoman.
For the second year, the local hip-hop artist, activist and entrepreneur is spearheading Juneteenth on the East, a free, family-friendly celebration on OKC's historically and still predominantly Black east side. The growing event is expanding this year to three days and will include live music, a 5K race, car show, dance classes and performances, live mural painting, spoken word performances, food trucks, educational tents and vendors and a Sunday brunch.
The festivities Friday-Sunday will be centered at the EastPoint shopping center and on NE 23.
"It's a national holiday ... and I think we're getting there to that point where people are understanding what Juneteenth really means and that it is, in a sense, the Fourth of July. It is a liberation for us, and it's a part of our history. And when I say 'us,' I mean all people — it's a part of all of our history," Jabee said.
"As we continue to learn and educate each other, as we continue to celebrate and honor this day, then I think that there will be a day where it's just as important to everybody as the Fourth of July."
Where can people celebrate Juneteenth in Oklahoma?
Along with Juneteenth on the East, the all-day Juneteenth Music & Arts Festival is set for Saturday in Washington Park. The Ralph Ellison Library is planning a daytime celebration Saturday, too.
Also in OKC, Fire in Little Africa will host a community mixer, screening of the film "Fire in Little Africa: The Doc" and performances by Foster, Sneak the Poet, Thomas Who? and Dialtone on Sunday at Rodeo Theatre in Stockyards City.
Juneteenth events also are planned in Norman, Stillwater, Tulsa and other cities across Oklahoma.
What is the history of Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is a June 19 holiday observed by Americans, especially in Black communities, as a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.
The celebration began because Gen. Gordon Granger, of the U.S. Army, proclaimed the end of enslavement in Texas on June 19, 1865, at Galveston.
The general's proclamation came two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued during the Civil War the Jan. 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebelling Confederate states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
Last June, President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by the U.S. House and Senate recognizing Juneteenth as a new federal holiday. Although that distinction has raised Juneteenth's profile nationwide, OKC singer-songwriter Tony Foster Jr., a member of the Oklahoma hip-hop movement Fire in Little Africa, said that many Black communities have been marking the occasion since the 1860s.
"Culturally speaking, we've gathered and celebrated and had cookouts and played music and those kinds of things for such a long time," he said. "It's not something that we wish to necessarily commercialize and turn into a commodity. We want people to join in recognizing the fruits of our own declared freedom — not necessarily someone freeing us, but us deciding that we are going to celebrate and we are going to take up space.
"It's been great these last couple of years, since it's been federally recognized, that people are interested in figuring out what there is to celebrate."
Who should celebrate Juneteenth?
Since much of his family is from Texas, Jabee said he grew up celebrating Juneteenth. But he knows many people are still learning the significance of June 19.
"For my whole life, Juneteenth was just something that nobody knew about, except for people in the Black community. I feel like we're in a space now where it's a national holiday, and so it's important that people from all other cultures and races come and experience this because it's a part of their history as well," Jabee said.
Raised in New York, fellow Juneteenth on the East organizer Marie Casimir didn't grow up celebrating Juneteenth. But the OKC choreographer, dancer and event producer said the holiday should be marked by all Americans as a day that our country got better and freer.
"If I'm not free, you're not free, right? So, we should celebrate. I think it would be odd to think that it's a celebration only for Black people. I think it's an important time for Black people," said Casimir, who is curating the Juneteenth on the East dance stage.
"We're celebrating the liberation of Black people. That's what this is about. But everyone is invited to participate, just respect what the holiday is."
Although it is a celebration, Foster noted that Juneteenth is rooted in tragedy, since it stems from America's dark history of slavery and racism.
"Anything relative to Blackness in America, especially when it comes to commemorating things, is way more complicated than it appears. And so this is no different," he said. "It's all about how we decide to acknowledge that history. ... Juneteenth is another one of those opportunities to continue to share the facts and share the legacy that has come from those events and try and make sure people understand the nature of who we are and where we came from and why we do the things we do."
What's new for the second annual Juneteenth on the East?
Last year, about 3,000 people attended the inaugural Juneteenth on the East.
"It was a great turnout," Jabee said. "I've always said I wanted to have it grow gradually and not try and do too big too fast. So, I booked a bigger headliner ... and we've added more to the kids' area."
The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. Friday with a 5K run, with the participants convening at Kindred Spirits cocktail and tapas bar.
Hosted by Dashari Miller and Conscious Lee, the main event is set from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday on NE 23 between N Kelham Avenue and N Hood Street.
"At 3, we kick off with a march-in, with a parade with dancers," Casimir said. "A majorette and the all-city band from Douglass (High School) is kicking it off, with several different majorette groups and then the car show."
Hosted by Mr. Reez and Music Man, the Whip Appeal Car Show is a new addition, too.
"We'll have vintage cars, we'll have souped-up cars ... and low-riders, all types of cars," Jabee said. "That's something that everybody likes, from all walks of life. We all love to see cool cars."
Grammy Award winner Mya will headline the musical lineup, which will include Che Noir, Sarafina Byrd, Si'Yir Royale and more.
For the second year in a row, the event's headliner is a Black woman, which Jabee said isn't a coincidence.
"I just think it's important to lift up Black women, especially on Juneteenth, because a lot of the backbone of our culture has been built on women. When you think about the east side, we've had so many great Black leaders that were women," he said.
"And one reason why I'm not performing is because I want to be able to share the spotlight with some of these younger artists that are coming up, because there's so many awesome ones."
How will Juneteenth on the East celebrate local food and art?
This year's Juneteenth on the East muralist will be OKC artist Tony Thunder, who will be painting his newest work Saturday, while on the dance stage, local entertainers will be teaching lessons and performing showcases spotlighting the history of Black dance.
"When you watch the new dance challenge on TikTok ... it's really easy for there to be an erasure of the Black content creators and the connection to Black dance and Black history," said Casimir, public programs curator at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center.
"So, it's really important to me that we highlight and celebrate those origins ... and that it's not static. We continue to evolve what Black dance is. So, on the dance stage, you'll see everything from hip hop to majorette to jazz."
On Sunday, Juneteenth on the East will conclude with a brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Florence's Restaurant, the soul food establishment that just won Oklahoma's first James Beard Foundation Award.
This year's Juneteenth on the East attendees will find many more Black-owned businesses open in the area, including Jabee's own Eastside Pizza House.
"A lot of the spaces at Eastpoint are open now. Last year, the majority of them were closed. Eastside Pizza House was still being built out ... so we'll have that open. Then, we have a lot more food vendors this year as well," Jabee said.
How is Juneteenth on the East celebrating the Black community?
As part of the festivities, Juneteenth on the East organizers will present awards to several Black community leaders, Jabee said. This year's honorees include Quintin Hughes, Brandi Jones, Zion Wright, J.D. Baker, Joyce Henderson and new Oklahoma City Community College President Mautra Jones.
"You have people in the community who are kind of unsung heroes and do all these great things behind the scenes," Jabee said.
Although he has been the face of the event, Jabee said Juneteenth on the East has been embraced by the East Side as a whole.
"Since we started, it's been a community effort. ... If the community hadn't wanted it and taken ownership of it, then we wouldn't have done it again," Jabee said.
"It's for and by African Americans, definitely, and it's Black performers. But for people who aren't Black, it's a chance to come experience some of the culture and some of the things that we do in our community."
Juneteenth on the East
Free 5K run: 7 p.m. Friday, meet at Kindred Spirits, 1726 NW 23, Suite C
Free Juneteenth on the East Festival: 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday on NE 23 between N Kelham Avenue and N Hood Street.
Juneteenth Brunch: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.Sunday at Florence’s Restaurant, 1437 NE 23.
Information: https://www.withloveokc.org/juneteenth and Twitter.com/JuneteenthEast.
Other events
•Juneteenth Music & Arts Festival: Music by Vokal Gold, B Les, Jon B, DJ Quik and more, 10 a.m. Saturday, Washington Park. Information: https://www.facebook.com/okcheartandsoul.
•Juneteenth Celebration with Fire in Little Africa: Community mixer, "Fire in Little Africa: The Doc" screening and performances by Tony Foster Jr., Sneak the Poet, Thomas Who? and Dialtone, 6 p.m. Sunday, Rodeo Theatre at Stockyards. Information: https://www.rodeocinema.com.
•Juneteenth Celebration: Music Through the Ages: Educational presentations and musical performances, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oklahoma History Center. https://www.okhistory.org.
•Juneteenth Celebration: Family fun and crafts, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Ralph Ellison Library. Information: https://www.metrolibrary.org/event/juneteenth-celebration.
•Norman Juneteenth Festival: Live music, DJ, poetry, speakers, fireworks and more, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Reaves Park in Norman. https://www.normanok.gov/events/2022-juneteenth-festival.
•Stillwater Juneteenth Celebration: Games, food trucks, music and more, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Southern Woods Park in Stillwater. Information: https://www.facebook.com/stillwatercommunityunited.
•Tulsa Juneteenth: Live music, block party, art exhibit and more, Thursday-Saturday, Greenwood Avenue and OSU-Tulsa lawn. Information: https://www.tulsajuneteenth.org.
Juneteenth doc teaches holiday history
For people who want to delve into the history of America's new federal holiday, the documentary "Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom" is available to view for free online.
Directed by Ya'Ke Smith, the film follows pastor and podcast host Rasool Berry, of Michigan-based Our Daily Bread Ministries, to Galveston, Texas. That's where Juneteenth originated in 1865 as enslaved people there were finally freed, two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
"As our nation comes to embrace this holiday ... many people outside of Texas don't know the history of what is Juneteenth? Why is it celebrated? Why is it something that all Americans need to celebrate? ... So, we hope that this film will do that," said executive producer Mary Beth Minnis, an Edmond native based in Austin.
Among others, the documentary features Nobel Peace Prize nominee Opal Lee, the Texan known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth."
"As Ms. Opal Lee says, 'None of us are free until all of us are free.' She recommends — and I agree with her — that all Americans should celebrate freedom from the 19th of June to the Fourth of July," Minnis said.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC celebrates freedom, new national holiday with Juneteenth
