The Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas, hosted annually by the House of Africa in Charlotte, NC, stands as a vibrant commemoration of the end of slavery and a powerful celebration of African American culture. For over two decades, this festival has brought together artists, musicians, and vendors from around the world to Charlotte, fostering a spirit of freedom, unity, and togetherness.
Located in the heart of Plaza Midwood, the festival features a range of activities including youth culture camps, drum circles, open ceremonies, historical presentations, gospel fests, and captivating live entertainment.The festival also includes a Unity March, starting at Skyla Credit Union and ending at the House of Africa, where the celebration began 26 years ago.
Reesie Gary is the historian for her family. She says it’s awful that parts of Black history, like the history of Juneteenth, could again be ignored in schools, due to efforts to stop the teaching of critical race theory, an academic concept that looks at systemic racism instead individual prejudice. Gary says this is why she makes a point to educate her family, especially her children. She hopes that events like the Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas will make everyone recognize the importance of the holiday and its history.
“We need to know why we're out here celebrating,” Gary said. “We should not leave any stone unturned because when we are gone, or we're too old to be out, our children need to be able to carry on and they need to know why they're carrying this on.”
Lashica Levins brought her two sons to the festival. “This day is extremely important for me to bring my sons, as black males, to show them that this is a day that we commemorate the freedom of African Americans that live in the United States,” Levins said.
Read also: The Story of New Africa House
Mandy and Donyell Ritchotte, a white couple, say they came to celebrate unity and because it was important to them to show support. “I think that the more we speak out against racism and things like that, there's not going to be a change until we step up and say there needs to [be] a change in this world today,” Donyell said. “My thoughts are every white person should be here as well,”
The Visionary Behind the Festival
When Pape Ndiaye first arrived in Charlotte in 1997, the Juneteenth celebration was nowhere to be found in the city. So he started the Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas on Thomas Avenue - which he calls the birthplace of all Juneteenth celebrations in the Carolinas. Ndiaye runs the House of Africa gallery in Plaza Midwood, where he held the festival for the first seven years and returned a few years ago after moving it to Independence Park.
“My grandmother used to say that when you travel, you need to get the direction,” Ndiaye said, not knowing Juneteenth’s history. As he traveled around, he saw it being celebrated in a lot of different places - but not Charlotte. That’s when he started to host the festival with the help of friends, including Pride Magazine publisher Dee Dixon, and the late Marilyn Turner, the first chairperson of the festival who served from 1997 to 2006.
To Gross, Ndiaye introduced him to a new world of his own descent. “Africans in America had the whole slavery thing and all that, but there wasn’t a lot of cultural aspect going on,” he said. “Pape [Ndiaye] was giving you a different perspective on our culture. He would tell stories, the history of the masks, and people were really attracted to them.”
In kindergarten, Gross said, James Baldwin once came to speak at his class. “I remember him telling us that you are more than what they tell you. You come from kings and queens, and you come from kingdoms - I never forgot that.” Ndiaye - and the Juneteenth Festival - for many offered the closest route for the Charlotte community to form a connection with Africa.
Read also: Designs and Costs: Kenya House Plans
Khadim Soung, a fashion designer who lives in Dakar, Senegal, flew to Charlotte this summer to help Ndiaye with the fashion ceremony during the festival. In a venue next to House of Africa, artistically designed Senegalese Boubous, a type of traditional light garment clothing in Senegal, were displayed over the chairs and desks.
A History Unfolds
The community in turn has helped Ndiaye to turn the festival into today’s scale. Historian and activist Makheru Bradley met Ndiaye as a customer at House of Africa, and they soon became friends as the festival started in Charlotte. For 24 years, he helped Ndiaye document the festival’s history, including talking to media, engaging in public speaking and writing about Juneteenth history.
In Charlotte, Bradley said, the history of Juneteenth is a process of discovering. Junteenth was the same. Charlotte’s festival started with fewer than 100, and gradually grew to today’s scale, where it attracts more than 20,000 from around the city and state every year. During the festival’s first few years, many came to ask Ndiaye about Juneteenth. Not anymore, he said.
Federal Recognition is Not Enough
On Thursday, two days before this year’s Juneteenth, President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Bradley said that the move is the result of the growing awareness that pushes for reparations for African Americans and responses to the murder of George Floyd last year.
However, he also said that acknowledgment is only one part of the process towards reparation. “Acknowledgment without repairing the damage that was done - to restore people to the original unimpaired condition - just becomes an isolated entity if it’s not with other positive processes towards reparation,” Bradley said. “We didn’t need federal recognition to start celebrating Juneteenth. ... This was a product of the agency of African people, an act of self-determination. We decided that this was something we were going to do.”
Read also: The Story Behind Laniakea Beach House
A Home of Unity
After two decades of living and running House of Africa in Charlotte, Ndiaye calls the city his second home. At this year’s Juneteenth Festival, he wants to use arts and education to show the community power of unity and togetherness.
“I wasn’t born and raised in America, and I’m not part of the American culture. But at Charlotte, I feel like I am part of this community,” he said. “Like I say all the time, Juneteenth is not just an African American holiday, but it is a part of American history.”
Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas events span from Thursday to Sunday. The opening ceremony was held on the evening of Friday followed by a drum circle. for the Juneteenth Freedom & Unity March, a peaceful march from Grady Cole Center on Kings Drive to House of Africa on Thomas Avenue.
The sounds of African drumming filled the air at Saturday's Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas. "Fanga alafia, ase" echoed out between the sounds of African drumming . It means, “we welcome you” and “peace,” explained the drummers as they participated in a call-and-response with the crowd.
Singers and drummers performed on the outdoor stage, including an African drumming group and a father-son duo. Attendees navigated the crowd to buy handmade items from vendors, drink from pineapples, and sway to the music. Tyrome Davis and his son enjoyed an Italian ice on the curb.It was truly a day of peace, in which all were welcome and many from different backgrounds showed up.
Event Details:
- Location: 1215 Thomas Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
- Organizer: House of Africa
- Focus: Commemorates the end of slavery and promotes African American culture
Juneteenth: What You Need to Know | History
Popular articles:
tags: #Africa
