Kaleigh Jones of Roseland holds up her fist during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
PHOTOS: Chicagoans Celebrate Juneteenth With Food, Family And Mobile Parade
The event included discussions on the significance of Juneteenth and spoken word poetry performed by local artists and organizers.
WASHINGTON PARK — There were events across the city and online to celebrate Juneteenth on Friday. In Washington Park, dozens gathered to cook, give out food to those in need and bring Black Chicagoans together for a moment of joy.
The event, organized by Haute Society, kicked off its first annual Mobile Parade, where cars decorated with flags and posters traveled south on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive following discussions on the significance of Juneteenth and spoken word poetry performed by local artists and organizers. During the caravan, Chicagoan Adam Hollingsworth – belovedly known as the DreadheadCowBoy – was seen riding his horse.
A car dons Juneteenth decorations during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoChicagoan Adam Hollingsworth, aka the “Dreadhead Cowboy,” seen on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Bronzeville on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Event organizers said, “the current climate in Chicago has left many residents with emotional and financial stress,” and the gathering’s goal was to bridge this gap.
Food was shared throughout the event, as those present enjoyed lunches with inspiring words scrawled across the brown-paper bags, as well as nachos, snow cones and a big cookout.
Ashley Smith of Haute Society poses for a photo during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Bronzeville on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
At one moment during the barbecue, Ashley Smith of Haute Society excitedly said the gathering was beyond everything she dreamed about. In the presence of friends and family, the group of Chicagoans gathered at Washington Park ate, talked and danced as the sun lowered over the lawn.
The remainder of the food was distributed to those in need following the event.
Though yet to be recognized as a holiday locally and nationwide, Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the day in 1865 when troops arrived in Texas to free enslaved Americans — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
People pose for a photo with a banner that reads “Our parents met at Juneteenth 1992 in protest to Rodney King’s beating” during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Bronzeville on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoDestiny Jennings and Kayleigh Jones pose for a photo during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoAshley Smith making a sno cone during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoA car dons decorations for Juneteenth during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoAshley Smith of Haute Society serves sno cones during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoKason Oliver and Christina Dunmars take a selfie on a motorcycle during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoAshley Smith of Haute Society shows off a raised fist design in her hair by @LegendaryCutsInc during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoCortez James of Woodlawn purchases ice cream during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoHarold Banks of Englewood mans the grill during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoA person waves as cars don Juneteenth decorations during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Bronzeville on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoA grill billows with charcoal smoke during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoPeople gather in Washington Park for a barbecue during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoCars don Juneteenth decorations during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Bronzeville on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoA child walks past firecracker smoke during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoMessages of love and support on takeaway bags of food during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club ChicagoLarry Brooks of Chatham dances to “Natural High” by Bloodstone during the Juneteenth Celebration ReBuild Black Wall Street in Washington Park on Friday, June 19, 2020. | Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
The school now plans to continue its work training primarily Black and Brown youth the fundamentals of community organizing without the fear of reprisal.
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