Brendel HightowerDetroit Free Press
Metro Detroit is gearing up to commemorate Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or Jubilee Day, with events to honor the past, celebrate progress, and continue to build upon the promise of freedom for all.
The annual holiday celebrates equal rights and the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, federal troops freed the remaining slaves in Galveston, Texas, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years after it was issued. This occurred months after the Confederacy's surrender.
The day was officially designated as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
Juneteenth events throughout southeast Michigan will include live music, films, food and opportunities to support Black-owned businesses and acknowledge what is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
Here is a list of upcoming events by date to acknowledge and celebrate the holiday.
Friday, June 14
A Juneteenth Senior Lunch will be held at Southfield’s Parks and Recreation Building room 115 at City Hall. Enjoy a hot meal, music, dance and speeches highlighting the significance of Juneteenth at this event hosted by Southfield Parks & Recreation from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tickets are $25 for residents and $30 for non-residents. Pre-registration is required and tickets can be purchased on the Southfield Parks & Recreation website or by calling 248-796-4620.
Dancing in the Street: Juneteenth Jubilee at Motown Museum: This collaboration with Juneteenth Jubilee Detroit featuring an interactive, educational and art-driven block party experience will offer free museum tours and African dance workshop and a presentation by Alnur from 6-7 p.m.; live performances by Lolly Mariah, Hitsville Next Artists, and the 154 Dance Project from 7-8 p.m. The evening will conclude with DJ Takeover and a movie screening by featured Visual Artist Danielle Eliska. The event runs from 6-10 p.m. at Motown Museum, 2648 W. Grand Blvd., in Detroit.
Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom: City Officials & Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity will host this celebration that will include raising the Juneteenth Flag at this educational and interactive event. There will be entertainment by We The People Band, Divine 9 Fraternity & Sorority Strolls, a talent showcase featuring city employees; a mobile pop-up display presented by Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History; Juneteenth poetry contest winners; food trucks; resources and giveaways; and more from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Spirit Plaza, 2 Woodward Ave. in Detroit.
Saturday, June 15
The 2024 Madison Heights Juneteenth Celebration will feature live music, a food truck rally, and a tribute to Opal Lee, a 97-year-old retired Texas teacher known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” Enjoy bounce houses, a petting zoo, pony rides, crafts, an educational exhibit, vendors, and local nonprofits and community resources. The Smoke Jones Heart & Soul Big Band, with special guest jazz vocalist Audrey Northington, will headline the lineup of free concerts. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Madison Heights Food Pantry. The event will take place from noon-6 p.m. at Civic Center Park, 360 W. Thirteen Mile Road in Madison Heights. Free admission.
Join Mayor Ken Siver for the Mayor’s Juneteenth Walk from 10-11:30 a.m. beginning at the Southfield Municipal Campus front circle. Siver will lead participants on a 2.5-mile walk around Southfield where he will discuss Southfield history and the achievements of African Americans in Southfield.
A panel discussion titled “Celebrating Juneteenth in Dearborn: Why It’s Important,” hosted by Littlefield Action for Social Justice (LA4SJ) and Homage to Black Excellence (H2BE), will include panelists Dr. Julia Kapilango, founder of H2BE, DeJuan Bland, Lead Organizer for Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES), and Deborah Fair, past president of the Michigan Black Presbyterian Caucus (MBPC). The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Annex of City Hall Artspace, 13615 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. Free and open to the public.
A Juneteenth Community Celebration will take place during Canton’s 31st Annual Liberty Fest on the Amphitheater Stage in partnership with Canton and Jack and Jill of America Inc. Highlights will include a performance by the Detroit Social Club; hustle demonstrations; gospel music; and a performance by Larry Lee and Back in the Day Band. The Juneteenth celebration will take place from 3:30-10 p.m. at Heritage Park in Canton. Canton Liberty Fest runs from 1-10 p.m. June 13, 1-11 p.m. June 14, and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. June 15 and will include carnival rides and midway games; live entertainment, marketplace, festival food, a fireworks display and more. Free.
Pontiac Juneteenth Freedom Day Festival: Hosted by the city of Pontiac, this event will have music performances, a kids zone with games and activities, food, local vendors and more. Activities will begin with a parade at 4 p.m. and a fireworks display in the evening. 4-11 p.m. on Saginaw Street in downtown Pontiac.
Juneteenth Family Day, hosted by the Rhonda Walker Foundation in partnership with Raymond James will feature workshops for teens and families, a Black Business Marketplace, entertainment, financial literacy sessions, and more. Noon-4 p.m. at Silver Gardens Event Center, 24350 Southfield Road in Southfield.
Sunday, June 16
Juneteenth Freedom Fest is a partnership with the city of Detroit, Detroit Branch NAACP, Juneteenth Jubilee, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Michigan Black Business Alliance, Detroit Public Schools Community District, Detroit Means Business, Black Leaders Detroit, and the Eastern Market Development Corporation. The fest will feature live entertainment, a kids zone, more than 60 vendors, food trucks, and more. Noon-6 p.m. at the Eastern Market, 2810 Russell in Detroit.
Bring your lawn chairs and dancing shoes to this Juneteenth Jubilee celebration at Southfield’s Municipal Campus front lawn from 4-9 p.m. Enjoy live music, cultural performances, food, vendors, and activities for all ages. The event, hosted by comedian Crystal P., will feature performances by DeLo, saxophonist Mike Elder, and Spoken Word Artist Lashaun “Phoenix” Kotaran.
June 17-19
Wayne State University will host its annual Juneteenth celebration, featuring an art exhibition, panel discussions, and a keynote address by the Rev. Dr. Mayowa Lisa Reynolds, principal at the Detroit School of Arts and assistant pastor at Fellowship Chapel. For more information, visit events.wayne.edu/Juneteenth.
Wednesday, June 19
Juneteenth on the Cut, hosted by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy in partnership with D. Cipher, Concert of Colors, and InsideOut Literary Arts, will feature live music, vendors, storytelling, interactive opportunities for all ages, food trucks, and more. The event will take place on the eastern border of historic Black Bottom. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. 2-7 p.m. at David Campbell Terrace, 1301 Orleans St. in Detroit.
Juneteenth Performance featuring Detroit-based Mollywop! is a free concert presented by the city of Farmington Hills Department of Special Services Cultural Arts Division and The Hawk Theatre. The group will celebrate the historic day with their unique blend of classic funk, reggae and rock. 6 p.m. at The Hawk Theatre, 29995 W. Twelve Mile Road in Farmington Hills. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance at thehawktheatre.com.
Blkbok's Juneteenth: Neo-classical piano renegade and culture innovator Blkbox returns to Detroit to headline a Juneteenth celebration at 7 p.m. at The Cube, 3711 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. General admission is $30.
Hamtramck’s Juneteenth Family, Friends and Community Celebration: This second annual event will include a picnic/barbecue, vendors, a march down Joseph Campau, more. Meet at Veterans Park at noon, where buses will transport participants to Sarah Garrett Park to begin the march. The march starts at 12:30 p.m. (11361 Dequindre St.) and ends at Veterans Memorial Park (8648 Joseph Campau). Buses will follow behind for those unable to march.
June 21-23
Ypsilanti's Annual Juneteenth Celebration: The city of Ypsilanti in collaboration with United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Survivors Speak, A Brighter Way, University Bank and other partners, will host this event that will feature live music, food trucks, raffles, hustle lessons, vendors, youth activities, a Sickle Cell Disease Awareness walk, and more. Entertainment will include performances by Weebone Ent., Larry Lee's Back in the Day Band, Lady Sunshine, Min. David Whitfield & DWP, and others. 6-9 p.m. June 21; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. June 22 and 1-7 p.m. June 23 in the South Huron parking lot (behind Puffers Reds), 107 Ferris in Ypsilanti.
Warren Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration: This event hosted by Warren Cultural Commission, Macomb NAACP, Michigan Families for Fair Care, Papasian Library for Equity and Inclusion and Michael Howard will take place June 22 and will include live music by The Big Soul Band featuring Smoke Jones, Audrey Northington, and the Inna Zone Band featuring Nina Simone, vendors, food trucks and family fun. Noon-4 p.m. at Warren City Hall, One City Square.
Email bhightower@freepress.com to add your event to the list.
Brendel Hightower is an assistant editorat the Detroit Free Press.Contact her atbhightower@freepress.com.Support local journalism:Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.
