Juneteenth celebration upholds ‘crown jewel’ of Black culture in Denver

Gentrification has plagued the area as demands for housing have exceeded supply and costs have skyrocketed. But for Harris, Five Points will always be the crown jewel of Denver’s Black community. And as long as he’s in charge, Juneteenth will be celebrated along Welton Street in the heart of Five Points.

“Unfortunately, there's been quite a bit of involuntary displacement that has been the byproduct of gentrification,” Harris said. “But Juneteenth is a good reminder of what once was and, to a degree, what still is.”

Food trucks, community groups and vendors lined Welton Street between 24th and 29th Streets the weekend ahead of June 19. 

Independent clothing designers displayed silky, colorful shirts and hats with catchy slogans and personalized designs. Artists showed off paintings of iconic Black musicians such as Bob Marley and The Notorious B.I.G. 

Jordan Lujan, the owner of Freedom Credit Repair Budgeting, and Jason Woods, a realtor at Worth Clark Realty, felt their contributions helping mostly-Black festival attendees build wealth and buy properties were crucial.

“A lot of times, in other races, people’s parents teach them about personal finance,” Woods said. “A lot of Black folks don’t have that foundation and that knowledge so we’re just kind of left out in the cold.”

Woods and Lujan — both generations-long Denverites — help Black community members increase their credit scores and buy property to maintain their presence in the city.

Their businesses were two of several in the “First Time Homebuyer Zone,” a sectioned off area of the festival with information for visitors interested in purchasing property. 

A 2023 report from the Colorado Association of Realtors found Black homeownership in Denver is at 42%, compared to 55% Hispanic, 67% Asian and 70% white.

Woods said making homeownership accessible to Black residents is essential, as systemic inequities such as redlining have historically excluded them from building home equity and passing on wealth to future generations.

“A lot of other Black folks think home-ownership is unattainable, and that is by design,” Woods said. “We want to give them an asset that they can pass down to future generations and really take advantage of the American Dream.”

A map from 1938 published by the Denver Public Library shows how lenders ranked neighborhoods from A to D based on desirability. Neighborhoods higher on the desirability scale – such as University Hills and Country Club — excluded people of color through zoning — a practice known as redlining. Neighborhoods lower on the desirability scale such as Barnum and Sun Valley have higher rates of poverty in 2024, according to a report from the Denver Housing Authority.

Lujan sees helping people understand and build their credit scores as his personal contribution to reversing that history and ongoing gentrification by giving Black residents tools to remain in Denver.

“We feel like there are a lot of barriers holding us back from the same opportunities others have,” Lujan said. “And we’re just trying to get people over the threshold and reverse the trends of displacement.”

Other vendors used the festival as an educational opportunity about Black culture and joy. 

Sandra Guilford, a retired teacher and librarian with Denver Public Schools, set up her mobile book shop “Ms G’s Reading Emporium,” with books including coming-of-age novels, science fiction books and comics. The genres span through time and topics, but Guilford maintains one theme throughout: positive, inspiring stories where Black kids get to see themselves represented.

“When I was a librarian, I used to have kids come in and say ‘why don’t we have any books about Black girls?” Guilford said. “There’s nothing like having books where the characters look like you and their experiences sound like yours.”