Southern Colorado celebrates third-annual large Juneteenth festival
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Smoky barbeque aroma wafted through the air, children and families celebrated and entertainers set up for joyous performances as dozens gathered at America the Beautiful Park for the third annual Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival.
Friday’s festivities kicked off a weekend-long celebration for Southern Colorado, with events scheduled until Monday, June 19, the federal Juneteenth holiday.
“It brings together people from different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different cultures,” said Jemond G, an event organizer with One Body ENT, a local nonprofit that serves youth and adults by helping prevent crime. “It’s very important for this community.”
Though Juneteenth was celebrated at Colorado College for years, the city has put on a large event at America the Beautiful Park since 2020, one year before the United States Senate voted by unanimous consent to declare June 19 a federal holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates the day the Union army arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that all enslaved African Americans in the state were free in accordance with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued two years prior. That day celebrated as a holiday has century-old historic significance.
“This gives us something we can identify with by saying this is our day of freedom, this is our day of independence,” said TerryJosiah Sharpe, an event organizer. “We have a very specific day for us that we get to celebrate.”
While Independence Day is just weeks away from Juneteenth, Sharpe felt both are important for different reasons. July 4, Sharpe felt, is a day to celebrate with all Americans from various backgrounds, while Juneteenth is a day specific to Black Americans. The Colorado Springs celebration encourages participation across backgrounds, but Sharpe said the day is first and foremost for Black Americans.
“A lot of Black culture really revolves around finding our own independence as June 19,” Sharpe said.
The celebration also embodies what Sharpe sees as Black culture in Colorado Springs, and on a larger scale, in America. Food, family, music and entertainment are core parts of the celebration because they’re important to Black Americans, Sharpe said.
“Population-wise, there are maybe more caucasian people here,” Sharpe said. “But there are so many different cultures here and our goal is just to highlight and uplift Black culture during this very special time.”
Several Black family-owned businesses said celebrating Juneteenth surrounded by other family businesses and sharing their products with the community brings a vital sense of connection.
“I’m really impressed with the community and the way the city accommodates us,” said James McNeill, owner of Lil Howard’s, a barbeque business in Colorado Springs. “I love it because when I first came out here, I really thought we didn’t hit all the areas and I felt like it could’ve been better, but over the years it keeps progressing and it gets better and better, larger and larger.”
McNeill is from North Carolina but came to Colorado Springs for the military. He was stationed at Fort Carson and took over his father’s 60-year barbeque business after his service.
Chad Evans, a Pueblo business owner who owns Grills by Crown and LaLa’s Wigs, Lashes and More, said being at the festival and representing his grills and beauty products helped him feel like part of a community.
“I always wanted to be a part of the Juneteenth festivals and vendors,” Evans said. “I’m glad they fit me in last minute."
Alison Berg is a journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at alisonberg@rmpbs.org.
Zach Ben-Amots is an investigative multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at zachben-amots@rmpbs.org.