Organizers preview the 54th annual Juneteenth Day Celebration in Milwaukee
Tony Kearney, Executive Director of Northcott Neighborhood House, joined 12 News at 11 to provide a preview of the Juneteenth festivities happening around Milwaukee.
LOCATIONS. WE ARE ONE WEEK AWAY FROM JUNETEENTH, A FEDERAL HOLIDAY COMMEMORATING THE EMANCIPATION OF THE LAST ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES. MILWAUKEE IS NO STRANGER TO JUNETEENTH FESTIVITIES, MARKING THEIR 54TH ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION THIS YEAR. JOINING ME NOW IS TONY KEARNEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NORTHCOTT NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STOPPING BY. WELL, THANK YOU GUYS FOR LETTING ME COME IN AND TALK ABOUT JUNETEENTH. YEAH, 54 YEARS. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A HUGE TRADITION HERE IN MILWAUKEE. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE BACK WITH ANOTHER WEEK LONG CELEBRATION AND BEYOND? WELL, IT’S KIND OF OVERWHELMING. THIS YEAR WE ARE PARTNERING WITH SUMMERFEST, SO WE’RE EXPECTING TO SEE A LARGER CROWD THIS YEAR, AND HOPEFULLY THAT’S GOING TO TRANSLATE TO A LARGER CROWD AT SUMMERFEST. ALSO. JUNETEENTH IS IMPORTANT. I MEAN, IT’S OUR HISTORY. YEAH, AMERICAN HISTORY, ALL OF US. AND THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND. IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY TO SHOW THE BEST OF ITS COMPONENT OF AMERICAN CULTURE. HOWEVER, IT’S ALL AMERICANS. IT’S ALL OF OUR HISTORY, AND WE WANT TO SEE EVERYONE THERE. YEAH. LIKE YOU SAID, YOU’RE PARTNERING WITH SUMMERFEST FOR SOME THINGS THIS YEAR, WHICH IS NEW, BUT WE WERE JUST TALKING TO THE COMMERCIAL BREAK THAT REALLY KICKS OFF KIND OF THIS WEEKEND WITH THE BALL AND THE PAGEANT AND EVERYTHING. WHAT DO YOU GUYS HAVE IN THE WORKS? WELL, THIS WEEKEND WE HAD THE FREEDOM BALL, WHICH IS TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE HARLEY MUSEUM. LAST WEEKEND WE HAD THE JUNETEENTH PAGEANT. SO TOMORROW NIGHT WE WILL INTRODUCE MR. AND MRS. JUNETEENTH IN THEIR COURT. FROM THERE WE GO TO NEXT THURSDAY ALL OUT FROM FOUR IN THE MORNING UNTIL 4:00 IN THE AFTERNOON WITH JUNETEENTH DAY CELEBRATION. AND THEN WE’LL MOVE TO THE OPENING CEREMONIES OF SUMMERFEST, WHERE MISS JUNETEENTH. MR. JUNETEENTH AND THEIR COURT WILL BE INTRODUCED AGAIN TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY. ROYALTY? YES. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US. YOU KNOW, MILWAUKEE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CITY OF FESTIVALS. SUMMER FEST IS 57 YEARS OLD. JUNETEENTH IS 54 YEARS OLD. WE’RE COMING TOGETHER AND HOPEFULLY WE’RE GOING TO BRING MORE PEOPLE TO MILWAUKEE. YEAH, WE ALREADY HAVE VENDORS AT JUNETEENTH THAT ARE FROM LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK CITY. WE WANT EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY TO COME. AND OH, BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS OTHER WONDERFUL THING THAT’S STARTING TODAY, TOO. SO YOU CAN GO TO THAT. YEAH. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME OUT NEXT THURSDAY? IT’S AN IMPORTANT EVENT AND IT’S FOR EVERYONE. EVERYBODY IS WELCOME. I KNOW THAT SARAH OVER AT SUMMERFEST SHARES THE SAME IDEA THAT SUMMERFEST IS FOR EVERYONE. JUNETEENTH IS FOR EVERYONE. IT’S NOT THIS AFRICAN AMERICAN THING AND NO ONE ELSE IS WELCOME. ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY’S WELCOME AT JUNETEENTH. JUNETEENTH HAS A 53 PERSON PLANNING COMMITTEE THAT IS EXTREMELY DIVERSE. YES, YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A BIG PRESENCE THERE AT THE PARADE AND EVERYTHING. SO, TONY, I’M GLAD THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO BE HERE AND GET THE WORD OUT THAT WE’LL BE THERE AND YOU TWO WILL BE THERE, AND THERE’S SO MUCH TO DO.
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Organizers preview the 54th annual Juneteenth Day Celebration in Milwaukee
Tony Kearney, Executive Director of Northcott Neighborhood House, joined 12 News at 11 to provide a preview of the Juneteenth festivities happening around Milwaukee.
Tony Kearney, executive director of Northcott Neighborhood House, joined 12 News at 11 Thursday to provide a preview of the Juneteenth festivities happening around Milwaukee.The tradition continues on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive June 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.For more information about Juneteenth in Milwaukee, click here.
Tony Kearney, executive director of Northcott Neighborhood House, joined 12 News at 11 Thursday to provide a preview of the Juneteenth festivities happening around Milwaukee.
The tradition continues on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive June 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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For more information about Juneteenth in Milwaukee, click here.
Check out was real simple, can't wait for the tote bag