Here’s hoping Tremaine Jasper gets some rest, because he’s going to be busy over the next few days.

The owner and managing editor of PHXSoul.com has more Juneteenth events than his schedule can accommodate.

“I’d say within the last five years, you’ve seen an explosion in events … This year, we’ve got about 20 events coming to the Valley,” Jasper said.

Jasper sees this as a good problem to have.

But for me, it’s still a problem.

Black transplants want to help Phoenix

The Black population across the Valley has been growing so quickly that it’s hard to measure, especially since transplants such as myself are all over the area from Glendale to Gilbert and beyond.

But about 10% of all newcomers to Maricopa County from 2010 to 2020 were Black, making it a hub for something of a new “Great Migration.”

This New Black Phoenix has led to new policymakers at the state, city and school board levels, new churches and church leaders, and a thriving business community.

From my perspective, everybody seems to have two major things in common:

They all want to contribute to make Phoenix better than Detroit, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and all the other places they migrated from.

And they either all want to do it alone, or they can’t seem to get plugged in with established Black Phoenix leaders to contribute to the institutions that already exist.

Juneteenth is becoming a behemoth

PHXSoul.com is an essential directory for the Black community in the state.

Jasper collects and posts all sorts of opportunities to gather and network, from mental health conferences and professional development seminars to concerts and parties.

Juneteenth, the nation’s newest federal holiday, is becoming something of a behemoth — or maybe a leviathan? That definition is a job for linguists. I’m just a guy who tries to point out problems before they leave us sitting in a pile of ashes wondering what happened.

Jasper sees the positive in all the celebrations of emancipation.

“I applaud all of the community heroes who are hosting all of these events,” he said.

But he acknowledges the benefit of people coming together.

“I actually would like to see some of these organizations come together and collaborate with each other and just have one large event in the East Valley, one in Central Phoenix and one in the West Valley.

“I think our population is still small, and I think we’re getting spread too thin with all of these Juneteenth events.”

Fewer, but bigger, events would be better

Jasper, himself, is an example of the value of centralizing efforts.

His digital brand is more or less a Phoenix Green Book. (The Negro Motorist Green Book was an essential guide for Black travelers in the Jim Crow era. It told people where they could get a meal or a hotel or pump gas without the threat of racism as they navigated interstate highways.)

His digital footprint is as big as Footprint Center.

“Centralizing information for the Black community to one particular online hub (that’s updated daily), I think has been very helpful,” Jasper said.

“That’s what PHXSoul is here to do,” he said later.

But imagine if everyone with an event to post just used their own social media channels and influence? It would be hard for anyone but a celebrity to draw a crowd.

Also, with fewer, larger events, Juneteenth organizers could attract more celebrities. There would be better music, better food, better panel discussions, better networking opportunities.

In this case, bigger would certainly be better.  

Newcomers, leaders need to work together

It’s good to blaze your own trail, but sooner or later, it makes more sense to combine efforts.

From my perspective, that time is now.

I’d love to go to 20 Juneteenth events, but I’m not going to. There are so many that I might not go to any, because I wouldn’t want to show favoritism to one event over another.

A glut of events shows the growth and influence of New Black Phoenix, but it doesn’t maximize the potential the way fewer, larger events would.

It’s important for established Black leaders to reach out to and welcome the newcomers. And it’s equally important for the newcomers to get plugged in and try to join the establishment.

For this year, let’s just hope Jasper gets some rest.

He’s going to need it.

He’s going to be busy over the next few days.

Phoenix Juneteenth events

There will be all sorts of celebrations of Black culture and resilience this year. Here are a few. Go to PHX.Soul.com for a more complete listing.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.