'A very joyous occasion': Spokane gathers for annual Juneteenth celebration

Kitara Johnson thinks there's plenty of things to be divided about, but freedom shouldn't be one of them. Celebrating Juneteenth at Riverfront Park Friday, Johnson wished attendees of the daylong festival a "happy freedom day" as they walked from booth to booth, checking out community resources, collecting T-shirts or purchasing merch.

Juneteenth commemorates the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, became aware of their freedom - more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln freed them with the Emancipation Proclamation. It's considered a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

"It's not a divisive holiday," Johnson said. "If we can't come together around freedom for all, I don't know what."

The 15th annual festival, which included vendors, food, music and speakers, was hosted by the Inland Northwest Juneteenth Coalition from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Titled "Unfinished Dreams of Freedom," the celebration struck a chord with Spokanites looking to understand and uplift Black history and to incorporate it into conversations of togetherness.

"It shouldn't be the 'Black holiday.' It should be our holiday," Johnson said, motioning to the diverse group of attendees who moseyed around the Hooptown Basketball Court. "This is a part of American history. Black history is American history, and when we start seeing it that way, we can come together."

Johnson is a previous recipient of the Juneteenth Pillar Awards for her community work against fentanyl use after her son died from the drug. The Pillar Awards, which will be held Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Fox Theater, celebrate individuals and organizations who are pillars in the community.

Friday morning, City Council President Betsy Wilkerson made a proclamation on behalf of Mayor Lisa Brown to declare June 19 as Juneteenth in the city of Spokane.

"We are here together to celebrate, and let's do that in a very joyous occasion," Wilkerson said.

For Wilkerson, the idea of "unfinished dreams" is about keeping hope alive and letting it fuel continued action, even in a country that has broken many promises to the African American community, she said.

"The dream is not done, but for some who completed their dream, there should be another one," Wilkerson said.

Miss Juneteenth, Michaela Daou, was also honored at the proclamation by Freda Gandy, the executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Outreach Center. Wearing her crown, Daou is a graduated senior at Rogers High School, who will attend Howard University in the fall to study African American studies.

The pageant scholarship program aims to award high-achieving students while honoring the legacy of Juneteenth, Gandy said.

"It's important because I really do feel like there's still so much progress we can make, but also honoring the fact that so many people before us have made progress for us to be standing where we are today, and to be able to get education and being hired in positions of authority," Daou said.

Later in the afternoon, Attorney General Nick Brown spoke to the crowd. Brown, the first Black statewide elected official in Washington, told the crowd he was proud of Spokane for celebrating Juneteenth for 15 years, well before the day became a national holiday in 2021.

"I know we are living in a scary time, and we're living in a time of fear and hatred and racism, and it's built on the legacy of our past," Brown said. "But we also have to recognize how much strength we have when we come together to fight for justice and fight for our collective humanity."

Lakeisha Davis, the events and Black home ownership program manager for Habitat for Humanity, attended Juneteenth for the second year with her children ages 14 and 7. She said it's important to her that her kids know their history, and she's grateful for a fun, family-oriented place to bring her family.

"We got to create more fun, safe spaces for our community," Davis said. "Sometimes Black people are often looked at as a threat when we're not."

Davis said any cultural event helps to build awareness and create understanding across cultures. For her, "unfinished dreams" is about helping people in Spokane connect with the resources they have available that could help them succeed.

She was happy to see organizations like MultiCare and CarMax sharing resources in addition to small businesses selling items, like clothing and tote bags.

In one booth, Shakayla Delcambre, the host of local podcast "Black-ish in Spokane," wrote a list of five questions on a posterboard at the front of her booth, which touched on Juneteenth, Black identity and Spokane's community.

"What does Black joy in Spokane look like to you?" one question read. "Who helped you feel seen, supported or proud of who you are?" a different one asked.

Attendees of all ages approached her to discuss the questions. Delcambre will later compile the responses into an episode of her podcast, which discusses local biracial experiences. The idea for the podcast came from Delcambre's own journey of identity after growing up with a white mom and a Black dad.

Spokane Community Against Racism, Educate Entertain & Get Stuff Done, and the Carl Maxey Center were also in attendance.

The Carl Maxey Center invited kids to decorate a Juneteenth banner with a variety of colors and paint markers. The banner will be given to the Inland Northwest Juneteenth Coalition to preserve for future celebrations and to remember this year's festival, Carl Maxey Center Executive Director Jillisa Winkler said.

"I'm really excited to see the support of the wider Spokane community for a holiday like Juneteenth," Winkler said.

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