‘Advocating for people in your community is just showing up’: Here’s how, and why, Utahns will be celebrating Juneteenth

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A number of Juneteenth celebrations will take place across Utah during the rest of June. Meet the organizers bringing black history and culture to the forefront of the Beehive State.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865. On that day, the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas announcing that all enslaved African Americans were free. The announcement came over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed African Americans, and two months after the end of the Civil War.

“What we can realize as a community is that when we can understand each other’s past, understand each other’s histories, we can come together and grow our community,” Sebastian Stewart-Johnson, founder of the Black Menaces and organizer of Salt Lake Juneteenth 2025, told ABC4.com.

President Joe Biden designated the day a federal holiday in 2021 — expanding the holiday’s reach beyond Black America.

“When we talk about Juneteenth, naturally, we think of just black people. But I think it’s really important that as a collective, and as a community, we recognize that this is our nation’s new holiday to celebrate everyone’s liberation and freedom,” said Founder of Black Galore Media, Alexander Galore, who will also be serving as a program coordinator for Salt Lake Juneteenth 2025.

Where and when to celebrate

Utahns from all races and ethnicities will gather at 10 a.m. Thursday morning at the Utah State Capitol. By 10:30 a.m., celebrations will begin with a calling of the drums by musician Everett Lavell Spencer followed by a celebration walk to the Gateway at 11:30 a.m.

Festivities, hosted by the Beloved Community Juneteenth Day Celebration Committee, will continue at the Gateway Mall throughout the rest of the day. Events will include daytime performers, a Black Business Expo, a skating rink, a kids’ corner, and a lot of food.

At 4 p.m., the event will feature five local performers:

• Mike Styles
• Alexander Galore
• Bree Famina
• Roo Nostalgia
• Jade

Organizers are even including an after-party at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday at a location that has yet to be announced.

Salt Lake Community College will also be hosting a Juneteenth music festival on Tuesday, June 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at SLCC’s Taylorsville Redwood campus.

There will also be a Juneteenth Healing and Reconciliation Vigil on Saturday, June 28, at the International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more events, visit juneteenthutah.org.

Why celebrate Juneteenth?

Stewart-Johnson says his organization has been involved in a lot of protests, rallies and marches as of late. However, being involved in the moments of happiness and joy is just as important.

“To fight for one another also means to show up for one another in joy and celebration and not just in the moments of strife,” Stewart-Johnson said.

“Advocating for people in your community is just showing up and standing with them sometimes,” Galore told ABC4.com.

Organizers say the purpose of Juneteenth celebrations is to highlight Black joy in 2025 by remembering the day Black folks finally heard the news of their freedom.

“Juneteenth is important for everybody. Juneteenth was such an important event in our nation’s history because it started to change the landscape of what our nation looked like,” Stewart-Johnson said.

“The biggest value point of Juneteenth is reminding people that no matter how bad things are, there’s always time to take a step back and appreciate what you have,” Galore said, adding that joy plays a very important role in advocacy work.

ABC News contributed to this reporting.