New details emerging about Pittsburgh's Juneteenth celebration
11 Investigates has learned that the City of Pittsburgh is scaling back its Juneteenth celebration.
It was just last year that the city pulled funding from a long-time promoter's popular festival and hired a marketing firm with ties to Mayor Ed Gainey to produce the first city-run event.
The city still plans to hold a celebration this year, but the Department of Parks and Recreation is putting it together.
And the one-day celebration will be the week before B. Marshall's popular Juneteenth Festival, which he's held for more than a decade.
Marshall's celebration is the largest in the region.
11 Investigates has learned the city plans to hold a Juneteenth CommUnity Concert event at Allegheny Commons East Park on the North Side on June 14th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The event will feature musical performances, activities for children, vendors and a cookout.
The city, this year, is declining to hire an event coordinator like they did for the first time last year. Instead, the city will rely on the Department of Parks and Recreation to organize the event.
In a controversial move last year, Mayor Ed Gainey pulled city funds from long-time promoter B. Marshall. Mayor Gainey defended his decision at the time.
'We felt that at the end of the day we need to be more transparent,' said Mayor Gainey.
Marshall fired back and said he felt betrayed by the city's first African American mayor.
'It's like a betrayal. It's like your brother doing something to sabotage you,' Marshall said.
Instead, the city put it out for bid and awarded the $125,000 contract to Bounce Marketing, which had done work for the mayor before.
At a news conference last year, the mayor introduced the owner of Bounce Marketing. She outlined her plans for the festival.
'We plan to bring the best in talent, art, fashion, food, music and dance right to the heart of downtown Pittsburgh,' Fantasy Zellars said.
After public outcry, Pittsburgh city council reinstated Marshall's $125,000 in funding because it had already been promised to him.
Marshall's three-day festival at Point State Park, Gateway Center and Market Square last year drew more than 70,000 visitors.
Two weeks later, the city held its first-ever celebration known as FusionFest on Smithfield Street Downtown at the Greenwood Plan building.
While the city is doing its own scaled-back celebration this year, Marshall is also gearing up for his festival from June 19th to the 22nd.
'This will be our 12th year of doing this event. This year will be inside of Mellon Spray Park,' Marshall said.
Because of renovations at Point State Park, Marshall will be holding his festival at Mellon Park in East Liberty.
And while the city isn't contributing any money this year, Marshall is getting support from other big names.
'We got the (Pittsburgh) Penguins that are going to be a part of our parade. We're so happy about that. We got Dollar Bank here. Dollar Bank helps us generate over $6 million in economic impact with our Juneteenth celebration,' Marshall said during a recent news conference at Mellon Park promoting his celebration.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have partnered with B. Marshall for the past four years.
Marshall told 11 Investigates he's still waiting for a final permit from the city.
He's confident it will happen soon, and he says he's looking forward to the celebration.
Marshall has a number of food and gift vendors, events and activities for youths and musical entertainers planned for the festival.
The renowned funk and R and B band, Morris Day and The Time, will be the featured entertainer.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
2 hours ago
- Black America Web
Black History Mural In Miami Defaced With Swastikas And Racist Graffiti
Source: Art Wager / Getty In today's episode of Attack Of The Fragile Vandals , a Black history mural at Dorsey Park in Miami's Overtown neighborhood has been defaced with swastikas, racial slurs and other racist graffiti, likely put there by a person (or persons) who gets their Confederate flag under garments in a bunch at the sight of Black culture being commemorated. (And, look, I'm not saying they're probably Trump supporters, but they're probably yuge fans of authoritarian governments that lie about 'white genocide' while trying to ban all teachings on anti-Black systemic racism into 'woke' oblivion.) From CBS News: The vandalism appeared on a section of the mural at NW 17th St. and NW 1st Ave., part of a historic public art effort led by the MLK Mural Project, Urgent Inc., and Touching Miami with Love. Painted in 2012, the mural was created to honor the cultural legacy of Dorsey Park, once home to the Negro Leagues' Ethiopian Clowns. Artist and community organizer Kyle Holbrook, who founded the MLK Mural Project, led the effort to commemorate African American icons and local history. The mural features figures such as Jackie Robinson, whose image was among those defaced. 'This was an act of hate, but it will not define us,' Holbrook said. 'This mural was born from a community's pride, history, and power. We will restore it—stronger, bolder, and with even more purpose. Black history is American history. And no spray paint can erase that truth.' It's starting to feel like a trend, honestly. Last week, in Texas — arguably the only state that rivals Florida when it comes to labeling non-whitewashed Black history 'woke' in order to justify banning it just to placate white nationalism and white fragility — a historical marker in downtown Dallas that tells the story of a Black man, Allen Brooks, who was lynched by a white mob in 1910, was cut down at the base and destroyed by unkown vandals. The week before that, a white man in Beachwood, Ohio, was accused of checking out 100 books on Black, Jewish and LGBTQ studies and burning them all on camera. Hell, when it comes down to it, the destruction of Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., was done by the current administration in an effort to appease the same white and eternally fragile people who are likely out here vandalizing Black historical renderings out of pure racial resentment. As for the mural at Dorsey, CBS reports that 'local leaders, artists and residents are organizing efforts to restore and expand the mural, using the incident as a call for unity,' and they're asking community members to participate in the effort. Hopefully, the mural will be restored. Hopefully, all of the defaced Black historical art across the nation will be as well. As for the hatred and bigotry that causes the vandalism — well, that's just America making itself great again , unfortunately. SEE ALSO: White Florida Man Says He Would Have Shot Black Girl Who Rang His Doorbell Karens, Klans And Caucasian Tears: The Grift Of Racism In America SEE ALSO Black History Mural In Miami Defaced With Swastikas And Racist Graffiti was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
It's easier than ever to celebrate Juneteenth in Phoenix
It's going to be tough to miss Juneteenth in Phoenix this year with celebration after celebration from one end of the Valley to the other. It could cause concern that Black leaders aren't cooperating enough, but there seems to be a new level of coordination this year. 'The past few years of Juneteenth have been all over the place,' said Leandres Christopher, a co-founder of Cactus and Culture, a popular networking organization. 'And that might work for bigger cities, but it doesn't really work for Phoenix because we're already so spread out … It's imperative for us to come together and pool our resources.' Christopher and her partners, Terren Wortham and Ambra Jordan, are working on what should be a high-profile event in historically Black Eastlake Park, alongside BlackNet Az, BLM Metro Phoenix and Centered. 'The Family Reunion Juneteenth Celebration' started off a few years ago in the parking lot of Grassrootz Bookstore, but now it's evolved into an all-day affair on June 19 at the Archwood, a 13,000 square-foot, Black-owned, indoor event space in the heart of the city. 'The Family Reunion' will be among about a dozen Phoenix-area celebrations of the nation's newest federal holiday, which recognizes the end of slavery. (Last year, there were more than 20 Juneteenth events in Phoenix, most of which were clustered on the same day.) This year, there isn't nearly as much overlap or competition for attendees. This year events range from June 10 to June 21. (Call it 'Juneteenth season?') And they span from Avondale to Gilbert with plenty of stops in between. Black families should be able to find a way to celebrate without as much fear of missing out. There's a reason that things got unwieldy in the past. Juneteenth had been celebrated in Black communities for decades, but it didn't become a national holiday until 2021. Cities and community organizers raced to take advantage of the momentum with new events; but collectively, they overdid it. Opinion: How would you react to a brain tumor? This man chose joy Juneteenth (a portmanteau of 'June' and '19th') should be a community celebration, but that can only happen with a concentration of energy in a few strategic places. 'Juneteeth is a relatively new holiday,' Christopher said. 'What we've noticed is that as a community we're still trying to figure out what that looks like and how we want to go about celebrating it.' 'The Family Reunion' organizers wanted to bring visibility to lesser-known Black Phoenix leaders and to have some fun doing it. Some of the ideas 'came out of me being nostalgic about cookouts and block parties in Chicago,' said Kazz Fernandes, who runs BlackNet AZ, a nonprofit aimed at connecting Black people with social services and resources. 'How do we get to a block party? … Just a cookout.' He wants to help create an event 'where everyone is family, even when you don't know folks; people have food, and they're like, 'Hey, you can get a bratwurst or hot dog or some ribs or whatever.' 'I don't know you, but I know you that day; and now we've made a relationship with our neighbors.' It's impossible to overstate the value of these sorts of connections, but the need for opportunities to create them is clear. 'Family Reunion' organizers said that with weeks to go before the event, they've already gotten more than 1,000 reservations. 'I think folks are excited,' Fernandes said. He continued, saying that 'If we have events and opportunities to come together, we're all showing up. We're hungry for it.' Yes, especially when the field of options isn't overcrowded. Established Black leaders and newcomers seemed to have hit the right balance this year. Tuesday, June 10: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Juneteenth at the Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. Friday, June 13: 7 p.m., Miss Juneteenth Arizona 2025, Chandler, Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. Chandler. Saturday, June 14: 10 a.m., fifth annual West Valley Juneteenth Celebration, at La Joya High School, 11650 W Whyman Ave., Avondale. Saturday, June 14: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 12th Juneteenth Celebration, Tempe History Museum, 809 E Southern Ave, Tempe. Saturday, June 14: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., 21st annual Valley of the Sun Juneteenth Celebration, 1549 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. (Free parking at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.) Saturday, June 14: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Downtown Tempe Juneteenth Block Party, at CenterPoint Plaza, 660 S. Mill Ave., Tempe. Sunday, June 15: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., fifth annual RYBE Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, Arizona Center, 455 N. 3rd St., Phoenix. Thursday, June 19: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Juneteenth Community Celebration at the Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix. Friday, June 20: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., East Valley Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration, at Mesa City Plaza, 20 E. Main St., Mesa. Saturday, June 21: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., fourth annual Arizona Historical Society Juneteenth Celebration, at Arizona Heritage Center, 1300 N. College Ave. Tempe. Reach Moore at gmoore@ or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore. Like this column? Get more opinions in your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter, which publishes Monday through Friday. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Juneteenth events find their purpose in 2025 | Opinion
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Events to celebrate Juneteenth at a Dayton Metro Library
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — There are several events on tap at Dayton Metro Libraries that will celebrate Juneteenth, beginning today. The following events are for guests of all ages to enjoy and will be happening throughout the month. Family Storytime: Holidays and Celebrations, Wednesday, June 4, 4-4:45 pm, Burkhardt Branch: Enjoy books, songs, and activities that recognize Juneteenth. A screening of '12 Years a Slave,' Saturday, June 7, 2-4 pm, Southeast Branch: The movie released in 2013 and is rated R. Teen DIY: Craft Stick Wall Hangings!, Tuesday, June 10, 3-5 pm, Southeast Branch. Coloring for Adults, Wednesday, June 11, 10-11 am, Northwest Branch: Registration is required. A screening of 'Selma,' Saturday, June 14, 2-4 pm, Southeast Branch: The movie released in 2015 and is rated PG-13. Juneteenth Bingo and Crafts, Monday, June 16, 4-5 pm, Trotwood Branch: For students in grades 1-4. African American Genealogy, Monday, June 16, 7-8 pm, Northwest Branch: A presentation by Shawna Woodward, a DML Genealogy Librarian. Registration is required. Teen DIY: Juneteenth, Tuesday, June 17, 3-5 pm, Southeast Branch: A craft making session that will also feature a history on Juneteenth. Juneteenth Paper Freedom Quilt, Tuesday, June 17, 6-7 pm, Trotwood Branch A Juneteenth Discussion, Tuesday, June 17, 7-8:15 pm, Northwest Branch: Karen D. Brame of DML's Special Collections Department and community guests will speak about the holiday and its global impact. Juneteenth Jewelry Making, Wednesday, June 18, 1:30-2:30 pm, West Branch: For students in grades 1-4. Black is Also a Rainbow Color Storytime, Wednesday, June 18, 4-4:30 pm, Trotwood Branch: A reading of 'Black is a Rainbow Color,' as well as craft making. This event is for babies and toddlers. Juneteenth: The Hate U Give, Saturday, June 21, 2-4 pm, Southeast Branch: A screening of 'The Hate U Give,' which released in 2018 and is rated PG-13. Juneteenth Attire Fashion Show, Saturday, June 28, 3-5 pm, West Branch: Those interested in modeling need to register beforehand. Spots are limited. All Dayton Metro Library locations will be closed on Thursday, June 19, the day the holiday is observed. To register for events visit the library's website or call the help line at 937-463-2665. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
