Here’s how and why to celebrate Juneteenth in South Florida
Juneteenth celebrates Black freedom in the United States. But this year’s 155th anniversary has taken on even more resonance within the context of worldwide protests against police brutality and injustice.
Gale Nelson, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, said this year’s Juneteenth, celebrated on Friday, June 19, comes at a time when the country is still searching for justice for centuries-old systemic racism.
“As we deal with COVID-19 and racism in 2020, it’s now more important than ever that Big Brothers Big Sisters steps up and informs the community and engages the community so that we can truly promote freedom for all of our youth through these meaningful relationships,” he said.
His organization is hosting an event Friday in which community leaders will discuss race, relationships and resources as they relate to uplifting Black communities. The online panel is the first in a series of “community conversations” open to the public to combat racism and intolerance at every level, Nelson said.
Juneteenth marks the day that the last enslaved Africans in Texas were told they were free — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, said Timothy Barber, the executive director of the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre in Overtown.
Communities of color in the United States have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality. As long as these disparities are still present, the fight for freedom is not over, he said.
“This fight for freedom is not within this one Black community,” he said. “It’s for all of us. History provides us with the insight to fight the battles that we’re facing today. We are people of innovation, people of self-determination. ... We still have a long way to go until our community and society are free from the struggle for freedom.”
His organization and five other Black museums across the country teamed up to create a virtual project that will launch at noon Friday featuring educational resources and videos from Black academics and leaders.
Virtual and in-person events are being held around Miami-Dade to celebrate Juneteenth and bring Black people together for a day of solidarity.
Here are some of the events around South Florida:
▪ Black Professionals Network is hosting a virtual networking mixer Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to connect with professionals nad learn about the history of Juneteenth. RSVP online.
▪ Miami Beach tree planting at 9 a.m. Friday at Pride Park, 1809 Meridian Ave., and livestreamed on Facebook. Miami Beach and Miami Shores mayors will speak. The community will plant a rainbow eucalyptus tree, share an 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence and write positive words on messages or stones placed under the tree.
The event is meant to be modest, memorable and meaningful, said Heather Shaw, Miami Beach assistant director of tourism and culture, who helped coordinate the event. As someone who has celebrated Juneteenth all her life, she values the opportunity to educate the community about the holiday and celebrate Black lives in Miami Beach.
“African Americans have been part of the history of Miami Beach since the beginning,” she said. “And this tree will have deep roots to demonstrate that and it will grow to the sky like we want the growth of the community to be in the city.”
▪ Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami hosts an interactive community conversations series, starting Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with activists, business professionals, athletes and community at large. Questions will be answered live, and those interested can join via Facebook or Youtube.
▪ BLKFREEDOM.org — an online video project — will launch at noon Friday. The project is coordinated by Black museums and institutions from across the U.S., including Miami’s Black Archives Historic Lyric Theatre. The video presentations will feature conversations about justice, freedom and democracy.
▪ Reopening of The Shop in Pop Up Shop, a Black-owned, female-founded retail business in Wynwood at 285 NW 26th St. The reopening will feature a Jamaican cuisine cookout on Friday at noon. Basketball players Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul and stylist Calyann Barnett helped curate the designers for the space.
▪ Miami Film Festival presenting When Liberty Burns through a virtual screening Friday. Tickets are $13 for the general public and $10 for festival members. A live Facebook panel will be hosted at 4 p.m. with director Dudley Alexis, race relations scholar Marvin Dunn, educator and activist Braden Jones and former sheriff’s major/community organizer Lonnie Lawrence.
▪ Faith in Florida is hosting several unity rallies across South Florida on Friday.
South Miami-Dade’s is at noon, and the group is meeting at Second Baptist Church, 11111 Pinkston Dr. A
The Central Dade rally is at 4 p.m. with a march beginning at the Winn-Dixie parking lot, 1150 NW 54th St. and a rally at Partners Park, 5535 NW 54th St.
North Miami-Dade is meeting at 6 p.m. at the intersection of Northwest 163rd Street and 38th Place.
The Broward Rally is at 6:15 p.m. at Ingalls Park, 735 SW First St. in Hallandale Beach.
▪ Konbit Against Police Brutality and Harassment is 4:30 Friday at the corner of North Miami Avenue and 62nd Street. Advocacy organizations, immigrant communities and faith and business leaders are meeting to rally in support of victims of police brutatlity.
▪ Zoomteenth is hosted by the Florida New Majority at 5:30 p.m. Friday for a virtual event “celebrating Black freedom, culture and success.”
▪ Men’s mental health in the Black community to be discussed at the Come-Union Gathering from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday. It will be held at the Topp Cuttaz Barbershop, 16363 NW 57th Ave., and masks are required. RSVP online.
The Come-Union Gathering is a non-traditional support group intended to normalize conversations about mental health, said Ashley Jones, founder of the organization and mental health advocate.
“It’s a time when we come together to freely discuss mental health,” she said. “It allows individuals to freely discuss mental health without judgment.”
Jones chose to focus on men’s mental health in the “Black Kings Edition” event because she feels they are a sector of her community with a burden on their shoulders right now in the national movement. She calls the barber shop a “safe haven” for men where she hopes they’ll feel comfortable being vulnerable and sharing stories.
“The men deserve an in-person connection and to be around people who truly understand what they’re dealing with as well,” she said.
▪ The Greater Miami chapter of the ACLU is hosting an online forum to discuss bringing independent civilian oversight to the county’s police department. The event is at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
▪ Vigil and memorial service for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery on Friday from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Miami Urban Contemporary Experience campus, 245 NW 54th St. The event is free, but RSVP is required, and social distancing will be enforced. Photographer Cendino Temé will install an interactive art station.
▪ Broward Black Elected Officials (BBEO) hosting a virtual townhall Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. — “Where do we go from here?” RSVP online for the discussion on the criminal justice system, education, health and voting.
▪ Unity in the Community Peace Walk sponsored by Miami-Dade Commission chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson at 11 a.m. Saturday. The walk will start at Northwest 62nd Street and 17th Avenue and will end at Martin Luther King Park, 6000 NW 32nd Ct.
▪ Juneteenth Celebration at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Ocean Beach Park Saturday at 3 p.m., at Second Steet and Ocean Drive, Miami Beach.
▪ Drive-in Jazz at the Historic Hampton House, 4240 NW 27th Ave., rescheduled its Juneteenth drive-in to event July 2 because of weather. Drive-in opens 5:30 p.m., live performance featuring Maryel Epps starts at 6 p.m. Free event with a recommended donation. Must wear masks and stay in your car.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 3:33 PM.