Pittsburgh's Juneteenth festivities kick off in Mellon Park. Here's what to know.
Pittsburgh's Juneteenth festivities kicked off in Mellon Park on Thursday.
One hundred sixty years ago, enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free. It was more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, breaking the shackles of bondage.
This year, Pittsburgh's celebration is moving to a new location, Mellon Park. The festivities begin at 11 a.m. Thursday and run daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Sunday.
"We have one of the biggest Juneteenth celebrations in Pennsylvania, actually the biggest in Pennsylvania. This festival is going to be a great festival so people should come out and support," said organizer William B Marshall.
There's a lot in store the coming days, including concerts, family friendly programming, food vendors and so much more. It's all free.
History of Juneteenth
In 2021, the Biden administration made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
"Why do you think it took so long for it to be recognized as a federal national holiday?" KDKA-TV's Mamie Bah asked Samuel Black, the director of the African American Program at the Heinz History Center.
"Because the U.S. government didn't want to recognize it," Black said.
Black said throughout the years, annual celebrations of freedom have expanded.
"The thing to understand about the spread of Juneteenth from 1865 all the way up to today, but primarily from 1865 to the early 1900s, was the fact that you had people from the South who were formally enslaved migrating to other parts of the country, so they took this newfound freedom and celebration with them," Black said.
Because of them, we see more events like this, a reminder of delayed liberation and resilience.
What's open and closed in Pittsburgh for Juneteenth?
Federal, state, county, and city offices will be closed today and there won't be any mail delivery or trash or recycling pickup.
Healthy Active Living centers throughout Pittsburgh will be closed, but the city's swimming pools will be open.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit will be operating on a regular schedule today, but the Downtown Service Center will be closed.
Juneteenth Grand Jubilee Parade taking place on Saturday
The parade will be held in Downtown Pittsburgh, kicking off at 11 a.m. and running through Centre Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Liberty Avenue.
Along with the parade, there will be plenty of music and dancing as Pittsburgh celebrates Juneteenth.
