Once again, Kujichagulia Madison Center for Self-Determination will host Madison’s Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 17, noon-6 pm, at Penn Park. The theme this year will be “Juneteenth 2023…Black Resilience: Collective Liberation and Transformation.”
A whole day of activities is planned at the 34th annual Madison Juneteenth Celebration as local artists will showcase resilience through their respective talents. It’s a unique opportunity to experience the rich history of Black Americans through various forms of entertainment, lectures, performances, exhibits, visual presentations, food, music, and other activities. For longtime Juneteenth Madison organizer Annie Weatherby-Flowers, who grew up attending Juneteenth in Milwaukee, the holiday is a very special event.
“I really enjoy seeing the people at Juneteenth. It reminds me of Juneteenth back in Milwaukee when I was young. You would see all these young people who would come back from college on Juneteenth. You would see everybody there. You’d interact with all of the community leaders,” Weatherby-Flowers tells Madison365. “It was a little different in Milwaukee — Milwaukee’s got generations-deep Black folks, and they don’t have the separation you see in Madison.
“Over the years, I’ve been trying to pull all of us together [here in Madison] so that one time a year, we’re in the same space at the same time … and that’s the great part. We all have the same heritage, you know, the same shared legacy. So that’s been the focus and will continue to be the focus…”
For more information or to volunteer at Juneteenth 2023, e-mail Irene Katana at kujijuneteenth@gmail.com or visit the Kujichagulia Madison Center for Self-Determination website.
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