The intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and E. Lake Street in Minneapolis came alive with drum circles, food trucks, and art at Soul of the Southside’s Juneteenth celebration on Thursday — one of several celebrations across the Twin Cities. 

Even as temps climbed, people showed up with family, friends, pets, or just solo to celebrate the federal holiday, which marks the day in 1856 when enslaved Black Americans were declared free in Galveston, Texas, a little over two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. 

“Now more than ever, Juneteenth is about community, rebellion, love, and inclusion,” said God Free, an attendee at the festival. “A day like this reminds us of what’s possible and where we can keep going if we stay with the community.” 

Founded by Emmanuel Duncan and Sarah “Fancy” Lanier-Duncan, the Soul of the Southside festival takes place in a neighborhood that was the epicenter of the uprising five years ago after George Floyd was murdered by officers from the nearby Third Precinct police station.

“Keeping our own history alive is very important,” said Kenna Cottman, the festival’s accessibility and wellness coordinator. “We continue to show up in this way by taking space and really creating the community that we want. This is community reclamation in action.” 

Besides neighborhood mainstays like The Hook and Ladder Theater and Lounge, Moon Palace Books, Solcana Fitness and Arbeiter Brewing, multiple Black-owned businesses put up tents selling art, jewelry and food. 

Artist Nailah Ali, one of the vendors at the festival, sat behind her tent with her 2-year-old daughter. For Ali, Juneteenth is “a reminder of where we were, how far we have come, and how far we still have to go. To be able to be a part of this celebration is really special to me, especially with my daughter.” 

This year, the theme of the festival is “Family: A Revolutionary Force.” 

“It celebrates Black families coming together, looking out, caring for each other, and keeping ourselves safe. All of that is wrapped up in this theme of the revolutionary nature of what it means to have Black families together. And Juneteenth is almost like a family reunion,” said Cottman.

At the corner of Lake and Minnehaha, the Million Arts Movement hung art and quotes on a long fabric covering the fencing around the burned-out former Third Precinct station.

In front of the restored Coliseum building, kids and adults pored over an interactive mural, brought by Memorialize The Movement, a living archive that collects and preserves the protest murals that were on businesses and storefronts on Lake Street and other parts of the Twin Cities during the uprising. 

“It is a way to bring the community in and allow them to create in the same way those brave and courageous artists created in 2020,” said Leesa Kelly, executive director of the organization. “It’s important to us that Black and brown people have space to creatively express themselves, and this is one of the most authentic ways for them to do that.” 

Antony Crowder came to the festival with his wife and two sons. For him, Juneteenth is more than just a celebration, it’s about freedom. 

“I want to pass that along to my boys and understand what we’ve been through as a people, and understand our history. If they don’t know the history because it’s being removed, when they get older, they won’t know the history and the complications we’ve had.”

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