‘This city is alive with Juneteenth’
South Side rejoices in Hamilton Park to celebrate freedom
Asha Omega leaned into her mic while striding confidently on the grass in her bronze-and-green patterned skirt.
“They try to tell us every day that we are not worthy of what we desire,” she said during a pause in her musical performance. “We’re not worthy of happiness, we’re not worthy of money. We’re not worthy of seeing our dreams come into fruition. But really, if we wasn’t worthy, then why would they say that?”
Then the artist continued rapping, repeating the phrase, “I’m worthy, you worthy. You worthy, you worthy. They worthy, they worthy.”
It was Saturday afternoon, and the crowd of about 50 people gathered at Hamilton Park in the Englewood neighborhood for food, live music and volleyball was just one of countless celebrations of Juneteenth across Chicago.
The event was organized by the community group My Block, My Hood, My City and followed a volunteer-led park beautification earlier Saturday.
To many people rejoicing
the occasion, the block parties, barbecues and mini parades on all sides of the city were one big party to commemorate the holiday that they said has finally reached the recognition it deserves, they said.
“It’s been out for years; all of a sudden it’s a big hit,” 61-year-old Chatham resident Tamara Bennie, who
was at Hamilton Park, said. “Everyone wants to be a part of it.”
Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, the day Union soldiers told enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War was over and they were free. It has been observed by Black Americans for 155 years and became a federal holiday
on Thursday amid mounting calls for more recognition following the 2020 Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd, a Black man whose death sparked historic protests in the U.S.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker also signed a law this week designating Juneteenth a paid state holiday, while Mayor Lori Lightfoot made similar
calls for the city to make the holiday official in 2022.
But Bennie said the mainstream appeal of Juneteenth must not wash away the ongoing calls for racial justice.
“We weren’t free in 1776 on the Fourth of July. That wasn’t for us,” Bennie said. “We are free (now), but we’re not, if that makes any sense. It’s a long way to go, but Juneteenth is special.”
Brenda Rivers, a 68-yearold woman from the Gresham neighborhood, remarked at how on Saturday it seemed “everybody’s celebrating somewhere.” She hopes the enthusiasm translates into more progress for combating racism.
“The holiday for me right now is a beginning,” Rivers said. “But right now we are celebrating freedom, and that’s what it means to me.”
On a table next to the grassy field, Jasmine Robinson stood in front of a board reading, “What does freedom mean to you?” in capital letters. Underneath the message were Post-it notes with messages such as, “Equality for everyone,” “Always feeling safe” and “Love.”
Robinson, the community engagement specialist for the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, said she will collect those responses into a mixed media art piece.
“It’s Juneteenth, and that’s a day of freedom and everybody has different versions of what freedom means,” Robinson said.
She added that this year, Juneteenth is bigger than ever in Chicago.
“This city is alive with Juneteenth events, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Robinson said.