The Tulsa Juneteenth Festival will be hosted by the Black Wall Street Legacy Festival in 2021
TULSA, Oklahoma (AP) – Tulsa Juneteenth Inc, the Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce, and the Black Wall Street Legacy Festival (Legacy Fest) will host the 2021 Tulsa Juneteenth Festival between June 17th and June 20th in Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District, continuing the series of events commemorating the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Juneteenth is the first known commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the United States, which occurred on June 19, 1865. Tulsa’s annual Juneteenth Festival continues in commemoration of the occasion, with this year’s festival acting as an invitation to celebrate our freedom as African Americans. Tulsa Juneteenth believes that this time will connect the community and fuel optimism for the future as Tulsa joins together in communal respite centered on celebrating the rich cultural heritage and healing traditions that have defined the delight of African Americans for millennia.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the most heinous acts of racial violence in American history. The Tulsa Juneteenth Festival in 2021 will be a crucial community place for honoring and defending humanity, as well as creating room to be present and enjoy the greatest expressions of FREEDOM.
The Juneteenth Festival is a free public event that includes live music, an art show, a local market with over 40 merchants, over 10 food trucks, and a Kids Zone.
JUNE 16TH, WEDNESDAY
The celebration will kick off at Circle Cinema on Wednesday, June 16th, with a showing of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s new documentary, SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED).
JUNE 17TH (THURSDAY)
The annual Tulsa Juneteenth Block Party will take place on Historic Greenwood Avenue on Thursday, June 17th, and will include local entertainers and promote local businesses. At Movie in the Park on the festival lawn on Greenwood Ave., a family movie screening of Red Tails will be shown.
THE 18TH OF JUNE
The Festival will feature over 40 unique Black merchants, irresistible food, and the “In Bloom” Art Exhibit featuring Oklahoma native painters and photographers, as well as artist talks and creative workshops on Friday, June 18th. The Tulsa All-Star Band, Charlie Redd, Omaley B, and The Wise Men will kick off the Festival on Friday night at 6 p.m. on Greenwood Ave. with an infusion of soul-funk and R&B performances.
THE 19TH OF JUNE IS A SATURDAY.
The 2021 Tulsa Juneteenth Festival will resume at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 19th, with the first Wellness Event, In Our Being, a time of healing via journaling, meditation, and movement. Tulsa Juneteenth is pleased to have Black Health Counts on-site from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. to provide free COVID-antibody testing and health screenings, as well as community health education.
At Kids Zone, a safe environment designed with games, face painting, basketball, trivia, a live mural installation, free Swag bags, and other health and education programs, the kids are in for a fun-filled time of surprises. CAMEO is the headliner for Saturday night! Cameo is an American Soul Funk band best known for their 1970s classics Candy and Word Up, and they’ll put on a show to remember!
