West Michigan celebrates Juneteenth

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — June 19th is also Juneteenth, which signifies when the final African-American slaves in the United States learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.

It became a federal holiday in 2021, and it’s celebrated strongly in West Michigan.

In Kalamazoo, there will be festivities in Bronson Park from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, including food, dancing, and music.

“That’s very typical of how African Americans or people from the African diaspora celebrate,” said Dr. Sherrie Fuller, Director of Education & Training in the Vice President’s Area for Diversity and Inclusion. “It’s always food, it’s always dance, it’s all this music and it’s festive.”

This Juneteenth is a reminder of how far Black Americans have come, but a difficult reminder that there is still a long way to go for equality.

This week, a Black teenager was handcuffed and detained in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Battle Creek.

The boy’s family accused the officer of racial profiling, and the Battle Creek Police chief stands by his actions.

Dr. L.E. Johnson II of the Center for Afrocentric Thought was disgusted by the officer’s actions.

“What type of bias and prejudice are we dealing with here?” Dr. Johnson II said. “What that officer did was put blight on a legacy of a community that has worked hard to make things better for everybody. It was horrible what he did. He should be ashamed. He should be ashamed.”

Western Michigan University hosted a performance from Rootead on Friday afternoon at the multicultural center at the Trimpe Building.

Performers danced and played drums, focusing on their cultural roots.

“I believe people were able to have an opportunity to just kind of reflect on what the purpose of Juneteenth or the celebration of the holiday is all about, so it’s phenomenal,” said Dr. Fuller.

Battle Creek will have a Juneteenth family day at Claude Evans Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.