THE LEGENDARY R&B GROUP DAZZ BAND will perform at Point State Park for Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth 2022 celebration.
Locations for events include Downtown, Swissvale, Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh and nearby communities are gearing up for this year’s Juneteenth weekend. In fact, Juneteenth festivities have already begun.
Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, which means that for many, there is no work on Monday, June 20, the day that will be set aside this year to recognize the holiday.
But the festivities began this past weekend, June 11-12, in Mellon Park, where the Juneteenth Youth Fest was held. Both days featured a Steel City Flag Football Tournament, a Youth Fun Zone and Youth Basketball Showcase. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy hosted an event on June 10 at the Frick Environmental Center, in Squirrel Hill. It featured local performers Sierra Sellers and Chandra Rhyme, along with a tour of an outdoor extension of “From Slavery to Freedom.” That exhibit is currently at the Heinz History Center.
An African Lecture Series with Professor Kaba H. Kamene was held, June 12, at Sankofa Village for the Arts, on the border of Homewood and Point Breeze.
B. MARSHALL, with Stop The Violence Pittsburgh and leader of the City of Pittsburgh Juneteenth events, June 17-19.
This weekend, B. Marshall Productions’ Juneteenth Celebration will be held at Point State Park, June 17-19. DJ Fatman Scoop performs at 4 p.m., June 17, Sons of Mystro at 6 p.m., and celebrated hip-hop artist Talib Kweli at 8 p.m. On Saturday, June 18, Roger Humphries and the RH Factor performs at 4 p.m., hip-hop legend Arrested Development at 6 p.m., and R&B group Rose Royce at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 19, the actual day of Juneteenth, features R&B legends the Dazz Band (4 p.m.), KLYMAXX (6 p.m.) and WAR (8 p.m.)
Juneteenth festivities will also be held in Market Square, Downtown, including, but not limited to, jazz standout Kevin Howard at 7 p.m., June 17, R&B vocalist Sunshine Anderson (8 p.m., June 18), WAMO 107.3 DJ Brother Marlon (11 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 19), Pittsburgh Gospel All Stars (1 p.m., June 19), and the Bill Henry Band (8 p.m., June 19).
Saturday, June 18 is the day for the Grand Jubilee Juneteenth Parade, beginning Downtown at 10 a.m.
As thousands head into Point State Park this weekend, they’ll first be greeted by dozens of vendors near the Wyndham Grand Hotel at what’s being billed the Juneteenth Minority Plaza.
Juneteenth is branching out into other parts of the city, too. PNC Park will be the site for “Art as Liberation: Celebrating Black Art in Pittsburgh,” presented by 1 Hood Media, The Redd Studio, Mikael Owunna Studios and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s from noon to 4 p.m., June 18.
WELDIANNE SCALES, Swissvale Borough Council member; instrumental in bringing the first Juneteenth Celebration to Swissvale, Saturday, June 18.
Weldianne Scales, a member of Swissvale Borough Council, told the New Pittsburgh Courier that there will be food, vendors, local bands, a DJ, and free haircuts for youth. UPMC will provide health screenings and COVID-19 vaccines. There will also be shuttles for people to tour the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces. The popular Bill Henry Band will perform in the early evening, as well.
Scales, a member of the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 Class of 2022, concocted the idea of Swissvale having a Juneteenth event. She expects many Swissvale residents to attend, as they were supportive of the idea in borough council meetings and outside interviews. Since her election to the council in 2019, there have been two additional Black Swissvale council members—Shawn Alfonso Wells and Angela D. Stribling.
SHERESA MCCAULEY, leader of Twisted Vision Company, hosting the Juneteenth Celebration in Mt. Washington, Sunday, June 19.
The neighborhood of Mt. Washington will be home to its own Juneteenth festival, Sunday, June 19, from noon to 10 p.m., at Grandview Park, 499 Bailey Ave. It’s presented by Sheresa McCauley of Twisted Vision Company, an organization that focuses on curating experiences that are “good for the soul,” she told the Courier.
The Mt. Washington Juneteenth festival will have food, vendors, an art raffle, comedians, poetry, a DJ battle, and more. “The concept of the event is conveying the spirit of freedom through an array of creative expressions,” McCauley said. “It will also be a charity event for Alumni Theater Company in Homewood, a nonprofit who supports the voices of urban youth through performance arts.”
Notable performers at the event include Jordan Howell, better known as “Sweater Bob,” Desa Kishar (speaking also about financial literacy) and David Ellis (executive chef).
Duquesne Light Company is also getting in on the Juneteenth action. Some employees from Duquesne Light’s African American Business Employee Resource Group (named BRIDGE) will partner with Grounded Strategies to beautify the Hill District on June 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The volunteers will pick up trash, mow grass, weed whack, and plant and fix garden beds.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, the first Black mayor in Pittsburgh’s history, will be present at a number of Juneteenth events this weekend.
Juneteenth marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Tex., in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, according to History.com. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the U.S.
“African American history is indeed American history and deserves to be treated as such,” Mayor Gainey said in a statement. “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.”
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