Unity, fun and celebration: Miami Gardens residents celebrate Juneteenth
Rain couldn’t stop the joyous, festive celebration of Juneteenth at this year’s drive-in holiday event in Miami Gardens on Saturday afternoon.
“[Today is about] unity, just having fun, hanging out with family friends and just celebrating,” attendee Cassandra Paul-Noel said.
The Third Annual Juneteenth Park-In and Party Celebration kicked off friendly conversations, live music and good food at Hard Rock Stadium.
Since 1866, Black Americans have celebrated Juneteenth, which commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas — as nearly a quarter of a million Black enslaved persons of the Confederacy were freed following the arrival of Union troops.
Miami Gardens Vice Mayor Katrina Wilson remarked that the festivities weren’t just a celebration but also a call to action.
“We need to get back to having a conversation, you know, saying ‘put down your phone and let’s look eye to eye,’ ” Wilson said. “Let’s try to do some restorative type of conversations that allow everyone to have a voice and to be heard.”
The event played out like a large family cookout. Neighbors embracing neighbors. Old friends reuniting. Many laughs being shared.
As for entertainment, comedian Marvin Dixon, DJ Bo Weezy and the Florida Fellowship Super Choir all took the stage to share their talents.
While a passing rain shower did put a small halt to the party, Paul-Noel noted that having it be a drive-in event meant the fun could keep on going without interruption.
Wilson wanted the community to go home feeling uplifted and be ready to share the “sometimes uncomfortable and unpleasant” stories of the past to educate those around them.
“We ought to know, we ought to be able to teach it,” she said. “We value what we have, and we understand the struggle that went to getting these hard-won freedoms.”
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