The spike in coronavirus cases shut down an in-person celebration of Juneteenth in Tucson on Saturday, but it couldnβt drown out the voices of organizers spreading the message of the eventβs importance.
The Barbea Williams Performance Co. hosted an hourslong, livestreamed event to mark the 50th annual celebration in Tucson. It featured singers, musicians and speakers relaying the message of Black Lives Matter to viewers.
Barbea Williams, the companyβs artistic director, told viewers the event was a time to βenjoy, reflect and think about what this day means to us, not only 50 years ago here in Tucson, but also 1865.β
An 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence was hosted for George Floyd during the Black Lives Matter Tucson: Celebration of Black Lives rally on…
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, but it wasnβt enforced in many places until after the Civil War ended in April 1865. Word didnβt reach the last enslaved black people until June 19 of that year, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Texas.
Usually held in Tucson Parks and Recreation areas or the Dunbar Center, the local event brings thousands out to experience black culture and history, while black entrepreneurs display what they offer to the community.
Speakers Saturday called for action during a time of protests against police brutality and systemic racism that have swept the world.
βThis is the time to make some real change, because a lot of the things that I hear people saying today are some of the same things I heard when I was a young person,β Williams said.
βSo itβs time now that we make some real change and really open up doors in a way that weβve never done before.β
First taking place in Tucson in 1970, the eventβs origins are attributed to the families of Morris Doty and Bobby Ray Dixon, who lived in the βAβ Mountain area. The first event was held at Vista del Pueblo Park, not far from the base of the mountain, according to a Tucson Juneteenth Facebook post.
Event organizers once called it a βlittle neighborhood get-together,β according to Arizona Daily Star archives, but it grew in the following years into an even more inclusive event providing the community with historical presentations and exhibits, music and dance, and vendors selling food, arts and crafts.
During Saturdayβs event, Tucsonβs downtown area was filled with people of all ages painting Stone Avenue to display βBlack Lives Matterβ in colorful painted letters. The same words were displayed on a banner across the top of City Hall on Friday.
βItβs important that we work with our intergenerational community. They have something to teach us, and we have something to remind them of in terms of who we are,β Williams said.
Top photos of the day as selected by the Associated Press.
