Juneteenth celebrations throughout Northeast Wisconsin

GREEN BAY, WI – (WGBW & WISS) – Every June, many Wisconsinites celebrate Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Several such celebrations are planned in Northeast Wisconsin.

Robin Scott, Executive Director and Founder of We All Rise African American Resource Center in Green Bay, said Juneteenth is a celebration June 19, 1895 – the day slaves in Galveston, Texas heard from a Union General that they were free – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

“It is our Independence Day,” said Scott. “Just like as part of our American culture, we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day. As African Americans, we celebrate Juneteenth.”

Area Juneteenth celebrations

In Northeast Wisconsin, several Juneteenth celebrations are planned.

• In Oshkosh, the 2nd Annual Juneteenth BGosh is Saturday, June 8th from 10 am until 6 pm at the Leach Amphitheater at 303 Ceape Ave. 
• In Appleton, the Juneteenth Celebration is Sunday, June 9th from 12 noon until 5 pm at 301 W. Lawrence Street.
• In Green Bay, the 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration is Saturday, June 15th from 11:30 am until 9 pm at Joannes Park (215 S Baird Street). 

Green Bay Juneteenth celebration

In Green Bay, the celebration will focus on the strength, resilience, and contributions of black men as part of the African American culture and community.

Charles Caston, Community Partner Navigator for We All Rise, said this year, a parade is being added to the Green Bay Juneteenth celebrations. 

“We definitely will see performances. We will see live dancing and drumming. We will see joy, lots of kids. I know that Packers has a small mini-camp that takes place,” said Caston. “There will be the community meal that takes place out there. There will be tons of vendors where people can shop, learn about resources, and learn about businesses in the Green Bay area.”

There will also be a fireworks display to wrap up the day.

If you’d like to be involved with the Juneteenth Celebration in Green Bay, We All Rise is looking for volunteers.

“We could use anywhere from 30 to 40 more volunteers to make it a very comfortable event for everybody. We like to make sure that when we close up at the end of the night the park is clean and that it’s ready to go for families the next morning,” said Scott.

People interested in volunteering can fill out the form on the We All Rise website.

A change in language

Juneteenth is a great time to examine the words and vernacular used to describe the plight of African Americans throughout history. Scott said “slave” and “slavery” are euphemistic words used to distance the experience from the visceral truth. The word that should be used is “hostage.”

Just in light of continuing to add more information, tell stories as they truly should be told, we are encouraging people to refer to those that were held hostage as Black hostages and families that were held hostage. So Black families. And that helps American folks today to really understand what was happening,” Scott said. “It helps us to be current with the most inclusive language. They were not slaves. They were those that were kidnapped from the shores of Africa and held as black hostages. Families and children and men and women alike were held as hostage.”

Scott says Juneteenth is an important part of American history that needs to be told.

“It’s important from an education perspective to teach our young people, and the rest of the young people of different cultures about American history. It’s also really important to pay homage to our ancestors and celebrate those who are still living and have been a part of being held hostage.”