Three celebrations for Juneteenth are planned in Oneonta next week, including an event for children.
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, and today is a national celebration of African American freedom, culture and achievements.
Historically, Juneteenth marks the day when people held as slaves in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free on June 19, 1865 — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Jan. 1, 1863, changing the status of enslaved people in Confederate states to free.
Foothills
A Juneteenth celebration is planned for 1-5 p.m. Thursday, June 19 inside The Atrium at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center.
Organized by Keshia Genzardi, the goal of the celebration at the Foothills is “to attract the BIPOC community and allies to come celebrate freedom day together with a day of fun, food, live music and games, and more,” she said via email.
BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and people of color and is pronounced “bye-pock.”
According to the Facebook event page, featured businesses and organizations include Yak’s Youth Center, Juniors Jerk Hut, K&M Event Decor, Cabral’s Caribbean Store, Freestyle Confections, Brew U, Blendos and Mallory Brook Farms.
Devon Laboy and King Konye are scheduled to perform.
Participants for the Puff and Paint with Kirchelle Alston activity must be age 21 or older.
Sponsors include Foothills Pac, Junk Be Gone, Dosha and Otsego Pride Alliance.
Oneonta World of Learning
Children and their caregivers can attend a special open play event at Oneonta World of Learning from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 19.
According to the Facebook event page, OWL, at 167 Youngs Road, will provide Outdoor World of Learning backpacks and buckets for outdoor exploration, as well as “a few special Juneteenth activities created by OWL.”
The event is not a drop-off program. Admission is by donation.
Neahwa Park
The annual Oneonta Juneteenth Community Empowerment Festival will return to Neahwa Park, 1-6 p.m. Saturday, June 21, near the playground and basketball courts.
Lead organizer Diandra Sangetti-Daniels said some crowd-favorite events are returning, such as the community meal from 2-3:30 p.m.
This year, the rest of the activities will pause during the meal to give the representatives from the community groups a break and allow everyone to share the meal together.
“In our sixth year, we’ve been trying to tweak what we have to make it more intentional,” Sangetti-Daniels said.
On the menu are hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad and fruit. Drinks will be available before and snacks available after the meal.
Kicking off the day at noon will be a community yoga session led by Jackson Reddy of Yoga People Oneonta.
From 1-5 p.m., festival activities will include family-friendly kids’ activities; arts and crafts with different mediums of art; a pop-up library hosted by the SUNY Oneonta and Huntington Memorial libraries with poetry readings; basketball and jump rope with equipment from the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club and Oneonta YMCA, and basketball skill and drills with Graham Wooden.
A Black Town Hall, facilitated by Sierra Sangetti-Daniels of the People’s Perception Project, is meant to practice civics skills, focusing on housing, education and mental health and finding solutions, especially within the Black community and its intersectional groups.
Palette Play and Arcade Main Street will host a playland, with card games and the Oneonta Job Corps Academy’s chess team.
Diandra Sangetti-Daniels said she plans to deliver a message around 4:45 p.m. as the activities wind down. At 5 p.m., there will be a mini concert finale, celebrating culture and creativity.
Diandra Sangetti-Daniels said she wanted to create access and connection to the event — instead of browsing, get people involved and give them something tangible to do.
Admission is free. The event will be held rain or shine.
Supporters include the Oneonta NAACP, Otsego Pride Alliance, First United Methodist Church, the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club and Head Start.
For more information, visit @OneontaJuneteenth on social media, or email oneontajuneteenth@gmail.com.