Ithaca Juneteenth southside celebrations later this month

Ithaca’s Southside Community Center is gearing up For Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19, and it has events planned this week for Ithacans to enjoy no matter their ethnicity or background.

The community center at 305 South Plain Street in Ithaca is hosting a Juneteenth Festival to commemorate the holiday from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, in the street in front of the center , continuing a tradition that’s gone on for over 4 decades.

On June 19, the community center will host a “black business expo,” from 11 am to 3 pm., “where local black business owners that are signed up as business leaders of color are invited to come out and showcase their business,” Southside Deputy Director Kayla Matos said in a Tuesday interview.

“Juneteenth is one of our staple events, and it’s really about bringing our community together, especially since we’ve been pushed [away] due to gentrification, we don’t really see each other as often, so it’s just about bringing our people together, celebrating one another, experiencing black love, black joy, black excellence, and not only sharing memories but creating new ones,” Matos said.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the final end of slavery in the rebelling states just after the end of the Civil War. While the Emancipation Proclamation freed all African American slaves in the Confederate states in 1863, it was not enforced in areas under continuing confederate control.

The Civil War ended in April 1865, and on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers delivered the message in Galveston, Texas, that the war was over and the Emancipation Proclamation was now enforceable.

‘Ya’ll can come to’

Matos said the center’s Juneteenth event is open to all.

“One of our favorite lines is ‘and y’all can come too,'” Matos said. “We honor specificity unapologetically, are unapologetic about the programming that we do, and how we gear it toward and lead with a black focus. That’s always been Southside’s mission.”

Matos said the Community Center has hosted Juneteenth celebrations since the 1980’s, but the annual collaboration with Tompkins County only recently came after Juneteenth was declared a Federal Holiday in 2021.

Juneteenth 2024

This year’s celebration at the community center will include entertainment, community health and other human service agency information tables, face painting for children, among other activities, live performances, and food to boot.

“We have approximately 12 food vendors, so there will be variety,” Matos said. “We’ll also be barbecuing in the back.”

The ScienCenter will reportedly come down with some animals for children’s activities from 2 to 4 p.m. as Ithacan singers, rappers, and dancers including Southside youth and afterschool groups, will show off their talents during performances all afternoon.

Programming on the 19 will also include a historical re-enactment of Juneteenth, community lunch, and remarks from guest speaker, Daquetta Jones, CEO of Vera House in Syracuse, and Senator Lea Webb.

“Later on that evening, at The Downstairs, we will be hosting our second Juneteenth Jubilee and inviting those local artists who may not have been able to make it to Saturday’s Festival to come out and showcase their talent,” Matos said.

For more information on Juneteenth at Southside and to stay in the know on its upcoming events, visit its Facebook page.