For the past year, Venetta “May” Mayberry has attended every Detroit City Council meeting, determined to see the raising of a Juneteenth flag somewhere in the city.
On Friday, she saw her dream come true as city officials hung up the red, white and blue flag with the bursting star in one of the largest majority-Black cities in the country.
“I’m so happy because this is needed,” Mayberry said. “We need society to recognize Black people as a collective.”
The flag raising at the Spirit of Detroit was part of the city’s Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom with music, entertainment, a short lecture from Detroit Historian Jamon Jordan and winners of the city’s Juneteenth student poetry contest.
The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Proclamation Emancipation into law. On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and to inform remaining slaves that they were free.
The news prompted celebrations to break out and in the following year, Black residents in Texas began hosting a “Jubilee Day.” Texas became the first state in the country to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. In 2021, President Biden established Juneteenth as a national holiday, with Michigan making it an official holiday last year.
Mayberry said when she began attending council meetings, members were interested in the idea and said they would get back to her. The longtime Detroit resident found out the good news about the flag two weeks ago.
“We need unity in our community, especially the Black community,” Mayberry said. “We must fight because freedom is not free.”
Mayberry even got a shout out from City Council President Mary Sheffield, who sponsored a resolution approved last year to make Juneteenth a paid city holiday.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize a resident here in Detroit that has faithfully come down to city council every single Tuesday advocating for the raising of the flag,” she said.
Also celebrating the event was Kailyn Parks, who won first place in the poetry contest for her piece, “Blindful to Truth.” The 16-year-old Cass Technical High School student said she’s done some creative writing, but not much with poetry. Parks’ father Jamel Parks said Kailyn’s grandmother told her about the contest. Her poem was inspired by The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones, which explores the legacy of slavery in the United States.
“Poetry is something I dabble in, so winning this is a great opportunity,” Kailyn said.
Jamel Park was proud to see his daughter recognized: “She’s won a couple of awards for her writing, so I’m proud to see her doing her best,” he said.
Here are some other Juneteenth events happening around the city:
Juneteenth Jubilee
Juneteenth Jubilee Detroit is getting ready for the holiday with a weekend full of free events. On Saturday, the Joseph Walker Williams Community Center is hosting a family fun day from noon to6 p.m. with the annual Freedom Festival on Sunday at Eastern Market. The event, taking place from noon to 6 p.m., will feature food, activities and live entertainment and is a partnership between Juneteenth Jubilee, Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance, the City of Detroit and other city organizations and institutions.
Juneteenth health fair
The Bethel Community Transformation Center is hosting its Hooked on Health Juneteenth health fair Saturday at 8801 Woodward Ave. in the North End. Taking place from noon to 3 p.m., the fair will offer free health screenings, a DJ, food, arts and crafts and vendors. Guests are encouraged to register.
Wayne State Juneteenth events
Wayne State University will celebrate the holiday with a lecture from interdisciplinary artist April Anue on the historical significance of quilting for African Americans. This event will be held in the Student Center Building, 5221 Gullen Mall, room 775, from noon to 2 p.m.
The official Juneteenth celebration begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday inside the David Adamany Undergraduate Library’s Bernath Auditorium, 5155 Gullen Mall. The opening ceremony will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Mayowa Lisa Reynolds, the principal at the Detroit School of Arts. The festivities will continue at noon in Keast Commons, located at 630 Merrick St., with performances, food and music. At 5 p.m., the Wayne State University Organization of Black Alumni will host the panel “DEI Education: Its Current and Future Significance” in the Undergraduate Library’s Bernath Auditorium.
Rounding out this year’s celebration is a screening of the movie “The Color Purple.” The event, hosted by the Dean of Students Office (DOSO), will be held in the Keast Commons outdoor space from 9-11 p.m.
Juneteenth on the Cut
On the actual holiday, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, in partnership with D. Cipher, Concert of Colors, and InsideOut Literary Arts, will host Juneteenth on the Dequindre Cut from 2-7 p.m. The free event is celebrating the legacy of Black Bottom, a predominately Black Detroit neighborhood that was destroyed in the late 1950s and early 1960s for I-375.
Performances will be on the Campbell Terrace stage at Lafayette and St. Aubin and include African drum and dance collective by D. Cipher and a storytelling showcase by InsideOut.
Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration
The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is hosting its free Juneteenth Jubilee event 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, which will feature a lecture from Detroit historian Jamon Jordan, performances by the Ngoma Za Amen Ra Cultural Dance Theatre and the Jyn and Juice Band, as well as story time and horseback riding for kids.
Attendees can also check out the Black history exhibit “And Still We Rise” and explore the identity of Black men in the museum’s “Double ID” exhibit.