Days of Celebrating Juneteenth Ends with “As Black As It Gets!” Event

Juneteenth is federal holiday in the U.S. commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Although it only recently become a federal holiday in 2021, it has been celebrated since 1866 in some communities. “As Black As It Gets!“ is an event held for the past several years on the Upper West Side.

But it ends days of celebrations for the holiday that kicked off on June 15th with official remarks by Mayor Eric Adams. “Juneteenth is not a ceremonial time that takes place on the calendar of the year. It's the moment of reflection. Who are we going to become? I'm forever energized, and you need to really have a close look at what's happening right now,” Adams remarked. “This Juneteenth, let us remember that people gave their lives for us to sit on this grass today. We are in Gracie Mansion because our presence grace this country. And we deserve to be here. God be with you. Let's continue to move forward together, backward never.”

On Monday, June 19th in the Upper West Side Juneteenth celebrations continued with event organizer of “As Black As It Gets!,” Jerrell Grey part of Strategy for Black Lives, a youth advocacy group. “It’s important to celebrate Juneteenth and give our people an opportunity to break bread,” Grey said. “I learned what Juneteenth was in the summer of 2020. I was sent home from college and by seeing Black bodies getting killed every time I go on social media, we see the public display of Black and Brown bodies being killed. That’s why I decided to get into this work.”

One of the attendees of the event Audrey Church and her friend Sally Fales came to the event from a referral from a friend. “We wanted to be in a significant area like Harlem for Juneteenth and exploring different cultures,” Church said. “It’s exciting as black woman in America to understand what the holiday means to me. I’m excited also to be around fellow Black Americans celebrating and bonding over shared experience.”

Juneteenth is a part of our history that Fales is excited to teach. “For me, it’s recognizing that it’s a part of our history that we have to own and think about how to teach moving forward. I’m teaching this summer. Celebrating freedom for the first time in the country that everyone actually, in the most basic way, had freedom, didn’t have enslavement. Juneteenth is also a way to celebrate black culture as well,” Fales said. “It’s important that we recognize real dates and real historical markers for black history in the country.”

One of the tents at the grassy area of the event housed a homemade black owned vegan lotion company called “Odehyee LLC” with owner, Nana Boateng running the tent and her 6-year-old daughter accompanying her. “Celebrating Juneteenth is of great importance to most of us in the diaspora, not just Black Americans. It’s about celebrating the significance of Black people in America getting their emancipation. We want to commemorate our ancestors for what they went through,” Boateng said. Boateng is from Ghana. “I see myself as a part of a global community in fellowship with my brothers and sisters across the globe. We are in it together.”

The tent across from Boateng was, Evonae Dickenson’s tent of drinks, homemade food and baked goods that she made with her family. Dickenson explains the other social benefits of the event. “This is event is great for networking and supporting black owned businesses as well as celebrating what Juneteenth is all about.” Dickenson said. “Everything going on in the news makes today such an important day to come together as one with no violence — just love and peace.”