VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: City leaders launch Juneteenth weekend with flag raising and call to remember Syracuse’s past
Hunter Caperelli: Juneteenth is tomorrow, but Syracuse has already begun its weekend festival. The city kicked off the weekend with a flag raising ceremony this afternoon. Our NCC reporter, Tommy Armstrong, joins us now from outside of City Hall. Tommy.
Tommy Armstrong: Thanks, guys. The Juneteenth flag now flies outside of Syracuse City Hall, marking the start of several events over the weekend. It celebrates the liberation of enslaved people from Texas on June 19th, 1865. But organizers say that the holidays connection to Syracuse runs a bit deeper. While Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States, Syracuse celebration is also rooted in the city’s own history. Long before Juneteenth became a federal holiday, Syracuse was known as the Great Central Depot of New York’s Underground Railroad and earned the reputation as the Free City.
Rick Wright: We were the center of the Underground Railroad during the 1850s when our people were catching it, trying to escape to slavery. You are standing on historic grounds
Armstrong: That legacy can still be found across downtown Syracuse. The Gerry Rescue Monument honors William Gerry Henry, a freedom seeker rescued by abolitionists after being arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act in Syracuse. Nearby, Freedom Trail markers tell the story of thousands who traveled through central New York in search for freedom. The city still honors those stories that have shaped the community.
Sharon Owens: Syracuse Juneteenth has grown to be recognized as Syracuse’s premier cultural celebration, offering opportunities to reflect on our shared history.
Armstrong: This year’s theme is A Reckoning Reclaiming the Past, Remembering Black Voice, and Reshaping the Future. The celebration continues through the weekend with live gospel and R&B performances, community organizations, health and human services, food vendors, and cultural events across the city.
Briana Goodwin: As a celebrates black culture, black music, even black people you know who don’t know about it or people who aren’t black, they can all come together and enjoy our culture.
Armstrong: The goal is to honor the past, but also introduce new generations and groups to the history and culture behind the event. Back to you guys in the studio.
Luciano Calvosa: Thanks, Tommy. The next event in the Syracuse Juneteenth weekend is the festival in Clinton Square tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Syracuse leaders, community members and Juneteenth organizers gathered outside City Hall Thursday afternoon to raise the Juneteenth flag and officially begin a weekend of celebration centered on history, culture and community.
The ceremony marked the start of Syracuse’s Juneteenth festivities, which continue through Saturday with a festival in Clinton Square, Vision to Victory Parade and community events throughout downtown.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. While the holiday recognizes emancipation nationwide, organizers said Syracuse’s celebration also reflects the city’s unique place in the fight for freedom.
“We were the center of the Underground Railroad during the 1850s,” said Rick Wright, host of the Syracuse Juneteenth Festival. “You are standing on historic grounds.”
Wright reminded attendees that Syracuse became known as a haven for freedom seekers during the abolitionist movement. He referenced the city’s role in the 1851 Jerry Rescue, when local residents defied the Fugitive Slave Act and helped William “Jerry” Henry escape after his arrest in Syracuse.
“The city of Syracuse went incensed,” Wright said. “Syracuse, the home of the Underground Railroad.”
That history remains central to this year’s celebration theme: “A Reckoning: Reclaiming the Past, Remembering Black Voice and Reshaping the Future.”
Mayor Sharon Owens said the celebration is rooted in honoring those who came before while creating opportunities for future generations.
“The best thing about Juneteenth is that it is welcomed from people of all cultures and backgrounds to celebrate with us resilience, focus, courage and pride in our great city,” Owens said.
As the first Black mayor in Syracuse history, Owens was also recognized Thursday as the Grand Marshal of this year’s Vision to Victory Parade.
During the ceremony, Owens and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon issued a joint proclamation recognizing Juneteenth as “a powerful symbol of freedom, resilience, and the enduring pursuit of justice, equity and opportunity for all.”
The proclamation also highlighted Syracuse Juneteenth’s growth into what organizers call Central New York’s premier cultural celebration, bringing together music, art, food, education and community engagement.
The event also marked a transition in leadership for the Syracuse Juneteenth Festival. Bishop H. Bernard Alex formally assumed leadership of the Juneteenth board from longtime chairman Kevin Henry, who led the organization for 16 years.
Alex compared the transition to the ceremonial passing of a staff in West African villages, symbolizing leadership and responsibility being carried forward.
“We’ve been through storms, but we’ve got some better days coming,” Alex said. “As a people who have come through storms, we have come through hell and we are still here.”
Alex said that message reflects both the history behind Juneteenth and the purpose of the weekend’s events.
“We have come through difficult and challenging times,” he said. “From slavery to Jim Crow to segregation, but we continued to rise. And we will continue to rise.”
Beyond the historical significance, organizers said the celebration is also about creating spaces for culture and community today.
One of the weekend’s featured events is Groove Theory Social Club, a Juneteenth gathering organized by Brianna Goodwin-Haines that combines music, games and Black-owned businesses.
“I think they’re important because they really raise awareness for our history,” Goodwin-Haines said. “A lot of people don’t understand that there were still slaves that weren’t free from the time where they were emancipated. And that’s why we celebrate Juneteenth.”
Goodwin-Haines said she hopes the event creates an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to learn about the holiday while experiencing Black culture.
“People can all come together and enjoy our culture,” she said.
The Syracuse Juneteenth Festival continues Friday and Saturday in Clinton Square with live performances, food vendors, community organizations and educational programming. The annual Vision to Victory Parade will begin at the Dunbar Center before making its way through downtown Syracuse.