Last weekend, fights at the annual Juneteenth festival drew attention away from the focus and importance of the holiday. On Juneteenth itself, local organizations responded to what young people say they need at this moment.
At MLK Jr. park, community organizations joined with yoga and meditation practitioners from the Holistic Life Foundation.
“This is really in response to our youth asking for a healthy space, and us trying to build intergenerational, interracial and intercultural dialog," said Jessica Bauer Walker. She is the executive director of the Community Network for Engagement, Connection and Transformation, or CoNECT.
Her organization hosted the “Peace, Love and Power on Juneteenth” event at MLK Jr. Park and participated in the Freedom Celebration at Freedom Park. When asked why kids were asking for a healing space specifically, Bauer Walker shared:
“At the larger Juneteenth Celebration, there's been quite a bit of youth violence, and, you know, they're concerned about that. They want to come and hang out. They really want to connect with their culture and identity, and they feel like there's not enough healthy spaces for youth, and they're oftentimes viewed in ways that are not in line with their own self perception," said Bauer Walker. "So we want to help them have a voice. We want to help them have healthy outlets and know that we as adults are here to support them.”
Jessica’s daughter, Serea Walker, who was amongst the group of teenagers and young adults at the event, echoed her mother.
“I think young people are really struggling right now with connecting outside of their phones, because, you know, social media and technology has just grown super fast in the past couple years," Serea said. "So, to just be outside and just touching grass and talking with each other, I think that it's just a reminder that we're still all human, and we all need to connect at the end of the day, phones are not always going to cut it, and you need to be in person to really feel that connection. And that's what we did today.”
Serea and Jessica also offered advice for people who haven’t participated in Juneteenth before.
“Even if you don't know a lot about Juneteenth, if you're not a person of color, I would definitely just, you know, read up on that," said Serea. "I think it's really important to just know your history, and I think it's also really important to just get off your phone and get outside. You'll feel so much better if you just go for a walk, even if you're on the phone, to feel more comfortable just getting out of the house and talking with somebody, or going for a walk with somebody, is even better. But I think it's just really important to just get fresh air and feel the sun on your face.”
“I would encourage people to head over to Freedom Park at the foot of Ferry and just learn about culture and history. Talk to your elders. If you haven't been over to Martin Luther King Park, come over here," said Jessica. "It's a beautiful space. Just really engage. And this is for everybody, right? This is not just for the East Side of Buffalo. It's not just for the African American community. It's really for everybody. African American history is American history.”
There are several opportunities to get that fresh air, connect with the community and learn about what Juneteenth means, including the Freedom Celebration which runs until 6 p.m. and the Masten District Family Reunion at MLK Jr. park until 9 p.m.
