In years past, Lydia Morgan would spend weeks and months planning the annual Juneteenth celebration that included history, live music and a flag parade in Eden Park.
With a small but mighty committee of under 10, Morgan would plan an event for thousands that commemorated the end of slavery in the United States.
Morgan says she felt alone, at first, when she began planning Cincinnati's Juneteenth celebration in the late 1980s. Most people here hadn't heard of the holiday.
Juneteenth – also known as Freedom Day – has been celebrated for more than 150 years across the country, beginning in Galveston, Texas.
“I remember the first time I heard about it (Juneteenth) while on a trip to Texas. They were like, 'Have you heard of this?' " Morgan, the founder of Cincinnati's annual Juneteenth celebration, told The Enquirer in 2020. "This was so commonplace to them, my friend said, 'We celebrate our freedom. You guys don’t celebrate your freedom?' ”
For the past 33 years, Morgan has organized committees to plan Cincinnati's celebration. She said, "The rest of the country has Fourth of July but we celebrate our freedom on Juneteenth."
This year, Juneteenth is being celebrated by a lot more people.
On Tuesday, The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. The House passed the bill on Thursday, with 14 Republicans, including Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie voting against it.
"The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act" is heading to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.
Morgan says that this was once just a holiday known to Black people, especially those in the South. She recommends that all who are celebrating Juneteenth for the first time make the extra effort to learn more about Black history and the plight of slaves across the world.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that enslaved people were now free.
This was 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became official on Jan. 1, 1863. The 13th Amendment, which was ratified in 1865, freed enslaved people everywhere in the U.S.
In the wake of the George Floyd protests and a rally that former President Donald Trump planned on Juneteenth, the holiday has gotten a lot more attention.
Across the nation, states, cities and businesses have declared Juneteenth an official holiday. Last year, Hamilton County joined that trend and county employees now celebrate the end of slavery with a paid day off.
A family reunion
The Cincinnati celebration traditionally began with a flag parade displaying about 70 flags that represented African countries where people were captured and enslaved as well as the countries to which they were transported during more than 300 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
It has grown into what Morgan describes as a family reunion.
Among the new events in the city is the Black Wall Street celebration at Esoteric Brewing in Walnut Hills, planned as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre, where white residents were deputized and given weapons to attack Black residents in a neighborhood called Greenwood, often called The Black Wall Street.
"Our brewery is on Peoples Corner – a place that has seen a lot and is in a predominantly diverse neighborhood. Black Wall Street is a way to give back to the neighborhood," said Marvin Abrinica, owner of Esoteric. "It's our way to amplify and support Black-owned and minority-owned businesses."
More:30 Black-owned restaurants to support in Greater Cincinnati
Findlay Market is hosting a 2-day tasting event for Juneteenth. The first day, on June 18, will include a panel discussion with community leaders and business owners to discuss the importance of the holiday. The second day will have showcase Black-owned businesses for a ticketed event. All of the proceeds will go to the businesses.
Juneteenth:Events and celebrations in Cincinnati
Neighboring cities have begun celebrations too. Springboro and Hamilton have both organized what they are hoping will become annual celebrations.
Protecting Black lives, celebrating Black joy
Juneteenth celebrations have a social justice angle to them as well. In past years, organizers would register people to vote.
Amid a pandemic, many Juneteenth celebrations will involve masks, social distancing and even vaccinations. Some of the celebrations will even be virtual.
Alandes Powell with Black Art Speaks has been trying to get vaccination stations set up in front of City Hall as the city's Black Lives Matter! mural is repainted.
"The block party is a celebration of how far we've come but the programming is where we talk about what the journey has been like to get here," said Powell, the organizer behind the mural. "It's a reminder that Black lives matter, that we can support Black artists. It's a celebration and a history lesson."
More:Juneteenth Block Party's secret to success: Community
During the City Hall celebrations, Black Wall Street at Esoteric and many of the other celebrations in the city, there will be history lessons about Juneteenth as well as the Black Lives Matter movement.
Though the official Juneteenth Cincinnati has been a mostly virtual celebration for the past two years, erring on the side of caution, programming has continued.
"The thing that our ancestors did for us that is amazing is that they lived through it, so we exist," Morgan said. "It doesn't matter how or where you celebrate. You don't have to be Black. Just head to the library, talk to a history nerd, make the time to learn our history."
Contact Briana Rice at 513-568-3496 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @BriRiceWrites.
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