Celebrations were planned in Boise, Twin Falls, Lapwai, and Rexburg, among other places in Idaho.
On Saturday, community members gathered in Julia Davis Park in downtown Boise for the fourth annual "Family Function" Juneteenth event, which featured live performances, local vendors, food, and dance.
Juneteenth Idaho and the Black Liberation Collective partnered with local organizations and Black-owned businesses for a weekend of celebrations, including The Honey Pot CBD, 2C Yoga, Honey's Holistics, Cut-N-Up, and Amina's African Sambusas, among others.
Last year, the state and federal governments signed legislation designating June 19 as an official holiday, also known as Juneteenth. Juneteenth has long been observed by Black communities across the country to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans at the end of the Civil War, despite the fact that it was only declared a national holiday last year.
"On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President (Abraham) Lincoln declared all enslaved people free," the federal proclamation declaring the date a federal holiday said, "major General Gordon Granger and Union Army troops marched to Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas."
This weekend, the city of Boise was not the only one in Idaho to celebrate Juneteenth. Holiday celebrations were held all over the state, including in Twin Falls and Lapwai. On Monday, students at Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg will commemorate the date.
"Juneteenth is a time of great Black joy for people all over the world." "It's just empowering to know that people who look like you and share a common heritage are all here in Idaho, even if we don't see each other very often," said Prisca Hermene, a Boise resident who volunteered and performed at the Boise event.
Organizers made a point of reminding attendees to stay hydrated, eat well, and be aware of COVID-19 considerations throughout the event.
Concerns have been raised following the arrests of Patriot Front members in North Idaho
After a group of men from the white nationalist group Patriot Front appeared in Coeur d'Alene on the day of a Pride event, community organizers expressed safety concerns for the Juneteenth event. After a 911 caller reported a group of men crowding inside a U-Haul truck, the Patriot Front members were arrested on June 11 for conspiracy to riot.
Nonprofit leaders in attendance at the Boise Juneteenth celebration shared their personal reactions to the incident.
"It's frightening and upsetting. "You never think, 'Oh, that U-Haul truck is full of people who hate me because I'm Black,'" said Whitley Hawk, co-founder of Inclusive Idaho. "There are people who say racism doesn't exist, but there are also people who are comfortable enough to endorse racism in a state where they don't live."
On Juneteenth, the leaders who ran booths shared a common sense of sadness, fear, and tragedy. Some, on the other hand, expressed gratitude to those who intervened to prevent a riot.
Shari Baber, president of the Boise Soul Food Festival, vice president of the Idaho Black Community Alliance, and board member of the mentorship organization Brown Like Me, said she admires the person who called the cops to stop something that could have been fatal.
"Do I find it sad that organizations like this still exist?" Yes. But if they were all from Idaho, I would have been even more devastated. "The majority of them came from somewhere else, which tells me they had to go outside of our community to get their numbers," Baber explained.
One way Idahoans can make people of color feel safer in their communities, according to Baber, is for people to step outside of their comfort zones.
"If you take out your camera and notice that everyone in your group photos looks exactly like you, you've got some work to do." Come out of your comfort zone and attend these events, support a Black business, or visit the Idaho Black Community Alliance website to learn about the over 85 Black businesses in Idaho."
Despite recent events in North Idaho, the community-wide Juneteenth celebration this year represents Black Idahoans' ability to grow and uplift their close-knit community.
Claire-Marie Owens, the Juneteenth organizer, returned to Idaho after a 12-year absence. She had lived in Paris, New York, and Dallas before deciding to return. Has she considered relocating to another state because she feels unwelcome in Idaho? No. She is who she is because she is a Black woman who lives in Idaho.
"Five generations of my mother's family have lived here." My home state is Idaho. "It's where I want to be and where I love," Owens said.
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