9 fresh new ways to celebrate Juneteenth

Jun 17, 2024

Juneteenth, Juneteenth 2024, Ways to celebrate Juneteenth, How to celebrate Juneteenth, New ways to celebrate Juneteenth, theGrio.com — (Photo credit: Adobe Stock)Credit: Photo: Adobe Stock

Considering Juneteenth originates from Texas, the barbecue capital of the country, cookout cuisine has become a reliable way to celebrate our newest federal holiday. So, too, are parades; there are many every year all over the country, including a major one in Austin, Texas.

However, since the holiday has reached national status, its reach has accordingly expanded, as have the ways in which many choose to commemorate the day.

On the weekend leading up to Juneteenth, Alan Freeman, a Texas-based comedian who has celebrated the day for six decades, hosted the second annual Juneteenth Comedy Festival in the holiday’s city of origin, Galveston.

While his festival is a relatively new tradition, Freeman told theGrio the prerequisites for commemorating Juneteenth regardless of how you choose to celebrate. In addition to barbecue, which the comedian noted “goes without saying,” the day’s must-haves are community, music, and games.

“You gotta have old-school soul music,” he said. “Not R&B. Not hip-hop. Not that neo-soul. We talking about real soul. James Brown.”

While chatting with theGrio about her recent honor from the New York Urban League, Fifteen Percent Pledge founder Aurora James said she intends to spend Juneteenth in service of her greater mission, advancing Black businesses.

“If I’m able to kind of use Juneteenth as a day to maybe just relax and even click around on the internet a little bit and find some new Black-owned brands, that’s a day well spent for me,” the founder explained.

From spending the day in service to the Black community to hosting a gathering to even using the holiday as a beach day and everything in between, we’ve gathered nine fresh suggestions to commemorate Juneteenth below.

1. Host a formal dinner or salon with a Juneteenth dress code

No matter how you celebrate, as Freeman made clear, good food has to be a part of the day. Instead of the standard barbecue, however, you could host a formal dinner or a salon with a Juneteenth-color dress code (colors include red, white, and blue, and red, black, and green). Either way, you are gathering your nearest and dearest to break bread.

2. Check in on your people

Ebony Nichols, a greeting card designer based in St. Louis, advocates for sending greeting cards and reaching out to your people on the day. As she told theGrio, “Juneteenth was originally people checking in with each other and letting them know, spreading the good news about hope, about opportunity, about change.”

Considering that Juneteenth only exists because of a massive lack of communication, the day could serve as a great opportunity to check in on your loved ones. Give them a call, put a few cards in the mail, or have a small get-together.

3. Research your ancestors

Juneteenth’s ties to history are an undeniable aspect of the holiday. Use the day as a chance to learn more about your literal connection to the holiday and beyond.

4. Have a lazy day

If you have the day off and still have no plans, lean into that. Enjoy the freedom of a day off. Spend it doing exactly what you want — including just being. Relishing in your freedoms is a poignant way to honor enslaved ancestors.

5. Support Black art and businesses

However you choose to celebrate, let the day be a way for you to support Black businesses and art. Take a page out of James’ book and find new brands to support. Or you can make sure to show your favorite Black-owned restaurants, businesses, and artists some love.

6. Read and tell Black stories

We know about Juneteenth because stories have been passed down and continue being told. Keep history alive by maintaining the tradition of storytelling. If your coworkers and friends are less aware of the day and its history, tell them about it, share stories from your own family and cultural history, or delve into good reads by Black authors.

7. Attend a cultural event (that isn’t a parade)

Since Juneteenth reached federal holiday status, many more cities and organizations have taken up commemorating the day in myriad ways. While there are plenty of worthwhile parades to check out around the country, there are also events like gallery exhibitions, concerts, movie nights, and more.

8. Donate to organizations that advance Black people

While many of us give annually around the holidays, Juneteenth could become an ideal mid-year time of giving. If you’re looking for a charitable way to commemorate the day, support organizations that advance Black people in the United States.

9. Go to the beach

As a heat wave strikes many parts of the country and we prepare for the official start of summer, an obvious way to honor the day’s history and create a new tradition simultaneously is to use the day off to hit the beach. As Freeman explained, Juneteenth came to be in a beach town, after all!