Juneteenth is a new national holiday. How to celebrate it this weekend in Centre County
Juneteenth is officially the newest federal holiday, and Centre County community members have several opportunities this weekend to join the celebration of Black liberation in the United States.
For the second year, State College NAACP and the State College Borough will hold a Juneteenth event Saturday in Centre County.
“This is another historical moment for our community,” State College NAACP President Lorraine Jones wrote in an email. “The NAACP will have a host of talented performers come out to help us reflect on our past and give hope to the future. We will have spoken word, poems, dancers, live music, food, and learn more about the untold stories about the tenacity of African American people and American history.”
This event begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. plaza in downtown State College. It will also be livestreamed and recorded on CNET1.org. Directly following the performances at MLK plaza, there will be a film screening of the documentary, “District Greenwood: The Amalgamated People” at 3 p.m.
Other events to commemorate Juneteenth include Friday’s “Juneteenth Jubilee” organized by two local Black community leaders and business owners, Tierra Williams and Latisha Franklin. The event starts at 6 p.m. Friday at Sidney Friedman Park on Fraser Street in State College and will feature performances by musicians and poets, words and reflections by local activists and politicians, appearances by Black Greek organizations and information promoting local Black-owned businesses, according to a press release.
“What I’m looking forward to most is really bringing all of the Black-owned businesses together as a community and highlighting the Black excellence within the community,” Williams said.
The Juneteenth Jubilee will also benefit the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bellefonte, and honor the late Rev. Dr. Donna “Mama” King.
“Rev. Dr. King was a tireless advocate, historian and powerful positive force in the Centre Region community. She gave tours of the Bellefonte locations involved in the Underground Railroad until shortly before her passing on Jan. 7 of this year. Her life’s work continues to inspire a new generation and funds raised by the event will benefit her church,” organizers wrote in a press release.
Celebrations continue Saturday as part of the “Liberation Weekend” with a “Freedom Flex” restoration yoga session, led by Franklin from 10-11 a.m. at the Sidney Friedman Park.
“I believe that healing sometimes needs to come through the movement of the body. And there’s a connection with body movement and releasing trauma,” Franklin said.
Saturday evening, the community is invited to watch “Judas and the Black Messiah” at 7 p.m. at The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., State College. Tickets can be purchased online at thestatetheatre.org/events/judas-and-the-black-messiah.
A community connection is planned for 5 p.m. Sunday at Sidney Friedman Park for people of African descent. The purpose is to build connections with the Black community in State College.
Social distancing will be done at all events and those who are not vaccinated are asked to wear a face mask.
This week, Congress approved a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday and President Joe Biden signed it into law Thursday.
“For me, it means there is an awareness of history and a holistic awareness of history. So it’s no longer just thinking of American history as white history, but American history as everyone who lives in America,” Franklin said.
Williams agreed, but cautioned that the work is far from complete.
“I’m really glad that it’s being recognized. Me and Latisha’s goal at this event especially, is not just to recognize that, but to also educate people and understand that ... this is one part of it, but there was many, many more obstacles that African Americans had to face to fully be free. And to be quite honest, we’re still facing those today. So just because we’ve been given this as a national holiday, we don’t want people to go home like, ‘this is the end all be all, we’ve done what we needed, we’re all good now,’” she said.
There’s still work to be done within the community, Williams said, and she hopes people will understand what the event and day is truly about, as education will be a large part of their events in addition to the celebratory actions.
