City announces plans to support Juneteenth festivities, the oldest national celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States
Today, Mayor Ed Gainey announced plans for the City of Pittsburgh to support the annual Juneteenth celebration in partnership with Stop the Violence Pittsburgh from June 17 – June 19, 2022.
“The City of Pittsburgh is proud to celebrate this important national holiday,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “African-American history is indeed American history and deserves to be treated as such. Juneteenth is a reminder that service never stops. We must always ensure that change is realized in our cities and streets after it is enshrined into our laws. Even when we pause to celebrate a milestone, our work continues the very next day.”
The City of Pittsburgh will be providing approximately $60,000 worth of in-kind services to support this year’s Juneteenth celebration. This includes providing the main stage and banners in Point State Park as well as a secondary mobile performance stage to be used throughout the celebration and provide technical support to assist with audio on the main and mobile stages.
The Department of Public Works will be providing support with fencing and barricades as well as setting up the mobile performance stage. Public Safety will be providing all police services – as required by Point State Park and the City – for parade and traffic control, as well as providing police for security at the celebration itself, crossing guards to assist with pedestrian safety, and EMS to provide coverage for medical emergencies.
On June 19, 2019, Pennsylvania officially designated June 19 a state holiday – “Juneteenth National Freedom Day.” In August 2020, former Mayor Bill Peduto declared that Juneteenth will become a City holiday in 2021; and in October, Allegheny County Council made Juneteenth a county holiday beginning in 2021.
For more information on the 2022 Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Celebration & Black Music Festival, please visit www.WPAjuneteenth.com.
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