After a tough year, Betty Sawyer is ready to party.
The black community, she notes, has “had so much hardship,” she says, between the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd and others by police officers. This year it is especially important for blacks to get involved in what they call “radical resistance” to self-care. As a longtime black community advocate, Sawyer felt that Black Joy should be a central focus of the various June 15 celebrations planned for Utah this year.
In 2016, the Utah legislature declared the third Saturday in June Juneteenth Freedom Day, an official state celebration. The name Juneteenth (short for June and Nineteenth) refers to the day in 1865 that federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and emancipated 250,000 enslaved people, two years after the Declaration of Emancipation was signed.
While the Juneteenth has only been an official state holiday in Utah for a few years, it has been celebrated in the state for much longer.
Sawyer has been organizing Ogden’s Juneteenth celebration since 1989. (More specifically, she’s organizing Ogden’s Juneteenth event for as long as it exists.)
In fact, Utah’s black population has grown since the 1980s – today nearly 48,000 black people call Utah home – but this community is largely “dispersed,” says Cleopatra Balfour, another Juneteenth organizer.
In order to give the Black Utahners the opportunity to gather and rejoice after a year like 2020 – when events had to be held virtually in June – the organizers worked together to plan three major events on conflict-free weekends this year. They will be held on June 12th in Provo, June 19th in Ogden, and June 26th in Salt Lake City, all centered around the concept of “Black Joy”.
The organizers left a difficult 2020 behind and “wanted to look forward to this better time, this better future,” says Sawyer. She sees the focus on Black Joy as an opportunity “to speak about the strength, courage and resilience of a people who, despite all odds, continue to have hope and continue to fight for justice, justice and inclusion”.
Balfour, who is organizing this year’s major events in Salt Lake City and Provo Juneteenth, shares this view. Black joy, she says, is the ability to “see the joy that exists in spite of all the other things. … To be able to evoke and celebrate these events and focus on them are acts of self-care. “
Below is an overview of some of the many activities that will take place at each of these free community meetings, as well as other June-related events that will be held across the state.
Black Utah State City Hall
When • June 11th, 6pm
Where • Weber State University Davis Campus, 2750 University Park Blvd. in Layton; the event takes place in Auditorium D-3 of the WSU Davis.
What • The Black Utah State City Hall focuses on “Educational Justice and Justice.”
For your information • The evening includes a screening of the civil rights documentary “Beloved Community Project” by Marian Howe-Taylor followed by a discussion of the film. You can find more information about the town hall at weber.edu/juneteenth.
Provo: Juneteenth Celebration and Black-Owned Business Expo
When • June 12th, 1-8pm
Where • Automotive Addiction, an automobile museum located in the Provo Towne Center Mall, 1200 Towne Center Blvd.
What • Merchants will have a variety of goods for sale and all will be black-owned. There will also be a Black Art exhibition, live music and food trucks.
For your information • Admission is free, but if you register online in advance you can get a free ticket for the raffle.
Ogden: Utah Juneteenth Festival and Holiday Commemoration
When • June 19, 12 pm-9pm; June 20, 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Where • Ogden Amphitheater, in Ogden Park, 343 E. 25th St.
What (June 19) • Entertainment includes performances by Missouri singer and musician Zenobia Smith, Georgia rapper Young Dro, and local artists to be announced. The Juniteenth Essay Contest winner will also be announced, and high school and college graduates will be honored. Entrants will also take part in the Mr. & Miss Juneteenth Scholarship Competition. A mobile clinic will be set up at the festival to carry out COVID-19 vaccinations.
What (June 20) • There will be a special Father’s Day grandstand on June 20. Hairstylists can compete in the Barber Battle “Golden Clipper” and the new Braiding Battle “Crowns”, where they are judged on style, creativity and precision. “We know black hair is important,” says Sawyer. “It speaks to many areas of our identity.”
For more information • Visit weber.edu/JUNETEENTH.
Salt Lake City: Juneteenth Celebration and Black-Owned Business Expo
When • June 26th, 12pm to 10pm
Where • The Gateway, 18 N. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City. Car traffic will be closed on Rio Grande Street and the portion of 100 South that runs through the mall.
What • Merchants will have a variety of goods for sale and all will be black-owned. There will also be black art, storytelling, food trucks, kids activities, roller skating, spoken word performances, a movie screening, DJs and much more.
For your information • Admission is free, but if you register online in advance you will receive a free raffle ticket and free roller skate rental.
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