Tucson’s Juneteenth events are underway having hosted a pre-celebration community meet and greet, along with Dancing in the Street’s “Cinderella Ballet.”
But in the days leading up to the holiday, which marks when the last enslaved Black people in the United States learned they were free on June 19, 1865, there is still more to come.
Tucson Juneteenth is teaming up with Blue Lotus Artists’ Collective for a one-night sip-and-see featuring the works and music of Monad Graves Elohim and other African artists on Thursday, June 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 15 E. Pennington St. There will also be a silent auction and giveaway.
Saturday, June 15, is when the big Juneteenth festival will be held with live entertainment, a car show, kid zone, free toys, retail and job vendors, and food trucks at Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way, from 4 to 10 p.m.
The event is designed to bring together communities and people of all backgrounds to celebrate African American ancestors and the significance of Juneteenth.
On Saturday there are also a couple of events ahead of the festival:
From 8 a.m. to noon, community members can drop off new or gently used kid and adult shoes at the McKale Center ticket office, 1721 E. Enke Dr., to be handed out to those in need at the festival.
Then, from 1 to 4 p.m., the Tucson Black Film Club is screening “Miss Juneteenth” at the Dunbar Pavilion, 325 W. Second Street.
The fun isn’t over once the festival wraps. On the actual holiday, June 19, there will be a celebration of African artistry with The Drawing Studio and Living2Portraits from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There will be an artist talk and panel with master teaching artist Randiesia Fletcher. It’s happening at 2760 N. Tucson Blvd.
To learn more, visit tucsonjune19.org.
When Opal Lee was 12, a racist mob, angered that a Black family had moved in, drove her family out of their Texas home. Now, the 97-year-old community activist is getting closer to moving into a brand new home on the very same tree-lined corner lot in Fort Worth. Lee, who was one of the driving forces behind Juneteenth becoming a national holiday, joined others in lifting the framework into place for the home's first wall.
