19 Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth
June 18, 2020
Juneteenth—also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Cel-Liberation Day—is celebrated annually on June 19, and commemorates and honors the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the U.S.
The Emancipation Proclamation (issued in 1863) could not be enforced in many places until after the Civil War ended. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that all previously enslaved people were free.
Juneteenth is recognized in Pennsylvania as an official holiday, and Philadelphia hosts the Juneteenth Parade and Festival each year (the largest celebration in the nation). Although this year’s in-person festivities have been canceled due to COVID-19, there are many virtual and socially-distanced celebrations happening in Philadelphia and across the country.
Here are some ways to honor this historic moment and celebrate Juneteenth 2020.
- Participate in outdoor events in Philly parks (including a silent hike protest) and view online exhibitions hosted by the Fairmount Park Conservancy.
- Explore these online exhibitions from the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP).
June 18 at 6 p.m.—Films at AAMP presents Wilmington on Fire
June 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.—Juneteenth 2020 Virtual Festival
- Tune in to the Juneteenth Virtual Music Festival live stream on Thursday, June 18, featuring headliner DJ Jazzy Jeff. The 2020 Juneteenth Music Festival “invites all to join, online, for a positive, educational and entertaining day celebrating African American history and the mission to make Juneteenth a national holiday.”
- Join the Philly Queer March for Black Lives on Saturday, June 20, in LOVE Park.
- Join Dance Theatre of Harlem company members Stephanie Rae Williams and Alexandra Hutchinson as they host a Zoom Dance Party and Black Music Month Celebration. An RSVP is required by Friday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m.
- Check out the live stream celebration hosted in Galveston, Texas—the place where Juneteenth began.
- “Drop by” the 2020 Virtual Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival hosted by Johnson House Historic Site, an underground railroad and house museum, on Saturday, June 20, 2020 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Watch SummerStage Anywhere present a day of dance performances hosted by the City Parks Foundation in New York City.
- View African American Art online at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including work by Horace Pippin, who was born in nearby West Chester, Pennsylvania.
- Attend South Philadelphia Prevention Coalition’s (SPPC) Juneteenth Virtual Game Night on June 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. RSVP by June 18, 2020.
- Attend performances, cooking demonstrations, discussions and more from Greensboro, North Carolina, the city where in 1960 a sit-in at Woolworth’s spurred actions nationwide. Events will be broadcast on the City of Greensboro’s Facebook page.
- Take an interactive virtual tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Slavery and Freedom exhibition or attend their Celebration of Resilience.
- Check out this list of rallies and actions happening in the DC metropolitan area on and around Juneteenth, compiled by WAMU, American University’s radio station.
- Attend a virtual cooking workshop hosted by the Free Library this Saturday, June 20, from 2 to 3 p.m. A Taste of African Heritage invites you to cook along, “taste and celebrate healthy food traditions of the African diaspora” from the comfort of your home.
- Watch the live stream Juneteenth celebration from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston or attend the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston’s musical event, Freedom Fête: A Virtual Juneteenth Celebration.
- Stream Miss Juneteenth, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is set for release on demand and digital this Friday. Watch the trailer.
- Order takeout or delivery from these Black-owned restaurants in Philly. This list also includes Black-owned retail businesses.
- Explore the Free Library’s Black Lives Matter reading list and other resources.
- Donate to organizations that provide resources to Black communities such as Black Lives Matter Philadelphia, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black Visions Collective and Black Trans Advocacy Coalition.