‘There’s joy’: State College’s annual Juneteenth Block Party celebrates community
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- Hundreds attended the 7th annual Juneteenth Block Party on Fraser Street and MLK Plaza.
- The celebration featured performances, vendors, reenactments and scholarship awards.
- State College Mayor Ezra Nanes proclaimed Juneteenth an official borough holiday.
Hundreds of people braved the heat and wind to celebrate Juneteenth on Saturday at the 7th annual Block Party in downtown State College.
With the theme “Roots, Rhythm and Resilience,” the event was a lively celebration of history and culture that paid tribute to the struggles of Black Americans during slavery and beyond, while acknowledging the power and importance of Black joy.
“A lot of people come out and there’s joy, to see the love of the community,” said Darchelle Ross, owner of Thee Lasting Look, a small business that specializes in hair and body essential oils. Ross tabled at the block party selling her homemade products, as well as authentic African fans she received from a friend in Ghana.
Ross praised the atmosphere and connection the annual block party brings to the community. “[It’s] just a celebration of each other. It feels like home,” she added.
Hosted on Fraser Street and the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, the event was a joint effort between the Borough of State College, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Penn State’s Center for the Performing Arts and a host of community organizers who worked on securing vendors, coordinating performances and directing volunteers.
“I think one of the things that’s really important in this role is acknowledging that there are people who have been doing this work for a long time,” said Chiluvya Zulu, event organizer and DEI director for the Borough of State College. “The borough just wants to be there to support and amplify that work in any way that we can.”
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes took to the stage to thank the Juneteenth organizing committee for all its hard work in realizing the event and delivered his proclamation declaring Juneteenth an official holiday in the borough. Nanes encouraged attendees to enjoy the festivities and to be mindful of the history and significance of the celebration as a way “to reflect, to learn, to celebrate and to recommit ourselves to the work of freedom, dignity, equality and justice.”
Juneteenth, which became a federal holiday in 2021, is observed annually to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865.
Saturday’s block party was staffed by more than a dozen volunteers and several street vendors, including Carter’s Table, a popular taco restaurant in State College; Maya’s Potroast Jamaican Cuisine; and more.
“We’re here to celebrate the culture, you know? Bringing everyone together,” said Janae Ross, owner of Philly Girl Eatzz, a local up-and-coming catering business. “It’s an honor.”
The event also featured performances from event headliner Maya Azucena, a multi-award winning R&B artist and humanitarian, alongside local musicians Urban Fusion, Eric Ian Farmer, the Unity Church of Jesus Christ Worship Team and many more.
State College also welcomed Jump DC, a nationally acclaimed Double Dutch team, who alongside their onstage performance, became a focal point of community gathering at the event.
Coaches and team members turned ropes for children, adults and even police officers who wanted to learn to Double Dutch.
Carmin Wong, the inaugural poet laureate of State College and four-year volunteer with the Juneteenth celebration, also took the stage, delivering an original poem titled “Liberation Rhythm” about the enduring history of Black Americans and the individual power of memory. Wong was joined onstage by drummer and guitarist Rolando Simon, whom she worked with to create a musical accompaniment to her work.
“As we think about Juneteenth, we’re actually thinking about the humanity of all Black people who have built this country,” Wong said. “Even when enslaved, when they were experiencing different forms of inequity, were still very human, were still finding ways to liberate themselves … So this is a celebration for those reasons.”
Shih-In Ma also delivered a spoken word poem, “Spirit of Ghana” as tribute to the culture and people of Ghana, whom Ma visited with the Peace Corps at 19 years old. Ma reflected on the profound kindness and strength of those she visited and the importance of African culture in the U.S. today.
The celebration also included a face paint station, a scavenger hunt, community tabling and a reenactment of Union soldiers entering Galveston, Texas, in 1865, two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, officially ending enslavement in America.
The reenactment was conducted by Charles Dumas and company, who paid tribute to the Black Union soldiers who fought for their freedom in the Civil War and acknowledged the continual importance of Juneteenth as a national celebration. Juneteenth committee members also encouraged audience members to invest in the future of Black education through the 1865 Freedom and Legacy Scholarships.
Awarded to three Centre County high schoolers, this year’s scholarship provided $1,865 to each recipient. The $5,595 total is the result of yearlong fundraising efforts and donor contributions to improve access and affordability to recipients’ post-secondary education.
This year’s block party saw attendees of all ages and backgrounds, from years-long enjoyers, to first-timers, to families who have found a new way to get involved in their community.
“We’ve made it a complete family thing,” said Jamie Campbell, community organizer and associate dean of diversity enhancement with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business. “It means a lot. My daughters are actually volunteering this year. … It’s a great thing.”
The celebration was a culmination of months of effort, joy and community collaboration, which organizers hope will continue to inspire others in the community.
“[The block party] is truly just a way to see the community come out and have joy,” Campbell said. “You just get to feel good. You just get to celebrate, and you recognize what this day, what this time, means for us as African Americans, what it means for us as a family to remain strong and be supportive of each other.”
