The history of Juneteenth continues winding through Aurora and Denver

AURORA | For more than one-and-a-half centuries, the Juneteenth holiday has been a consequential mainstay to many Black communities, including here in Aurora and metro Denver.

Large and joyous celebrations have been held in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood for decades. Denver still has one of the nation’s largest events, which spans several days.

While Aurora’s festivities have always demurred to Denver’s big parades, music festivals and other public events, Aurora has for decades stopped to reflect on what is considered a solemn yet joyous occasion.

Juneteenth is a federal, state and Aurora holiday. Most government services and offices are closed. Leading other Colorado municipalities, Aurora declared the day a paid city holiday in 2023.

It marks the day in 1865 enslaved people in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed — months after the end of the Civil War, and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Since it was designated a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has become more universally recognized beyond Black America. Many people get the day off work or school, and there are a plethora of street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events.

In Aurora, the main attraction is June 21 at the Town Center of Aurora Mall.

From 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., the free event outside the food court on the east side of the mall will offer live music, speakers, games for kids and families, local vendor booths and more. Details of the event weren’t available at press time.

Colorado and Denver’s Juneteenth history

Dexter Nelson, the Associate Curator of Black History and Cultural Heritage at History Colorado, previously told the Sentinel that the organization has evidence of Juneteenth being celebrated in Five Points as early as 1953. A local business owner named Otha Rice, who operated Rice’s Tap Room and Oven in the neighborhood, spearheaded the city’s first Juneteenth celebration.

Black Coloradans who came to the state from the South during the Great Migration are believed to have brought the holiday with them, Nelson said. Colorado wasn’t as big a migration hub as midwestern cities such as Chicago and Detroit, but Nelson said for some Black families, Colorado was seen as a land of opportunity.

The 2025 Sentinel Juneteenth coverage is underwritten by Grand Design, a non-profit group and dedicated to preserving and keeping alive, primarily, the performing arts of African Americans, yet inclusive of other cultural performing arts. Grand Design seeks to raise the awareness of the public and an appreciation by the public through performances, concerts, presentations, visual art exhibits and cultural awareness training for the for the benefit of the residents in Aurora and the metro area.

“It was definitely desirable,” he said.

In Aurora, Barbara Shannon-Banister, founder of Aurora’s NAACP and former manager of the city’s Community Relations Department, was instrumental in creating Aurora’s yearly MLK Day celebrations. Shannon-Banister said previously that Aurora is the only city in the nation to have a weeklong observance of the civil rights hero, which is now in its 39th year.

But despite coming from a family of civil rights activists, it took Shannon-Banister many years to learn about Juneteenth. She grew up in New Orleans, but even living in the state next to Texas, she never heard anything about Juneteenth growing up. It wasn’t mentioned in any of the textbooks used in her segregated school, which were hand-me-downs from white students with the names of previous owners erased.

“In the segregated South, you didn’t speak up about those things,” she said.

It wasn’t until moving to Casper, Wyoming that she first learned of the holiday through some neighbors, who would always have a barbeque on that day. When she later moved to Aurora, her next-door neighbor was from Texas and celebrated the holiday as well.

She’s glad that knowledge of the holiday and its significance is becoming more widespread, along with other aspects of Black history, “because we as a community are requiring that those things happen.”

In 2000, Shannon-Banister kicked off her first year organizing Juneteenth with a musical choral. This year, she hoped to invite all the diverse communities into the city buildings to help people discover what their city has to offer in each department.

“My first idea was to open the city building and invite people to come on certain days and see the departments,” Shannon-Banister said. “There are people who don’t even know we have a city building because we have such a diverse population.” 

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The city was unable to accommodate that vision. The city opted to have a celebration at the Town Center Mall, which Shannon-Bannister said she disagreed with. She wanted to do something different and bring people to the city. 

Many Aurora residents and leaders have had a hand in regional Juneteenth recognition.

Former state Sen. Janet Buckner was one of the bill sponsors who helped make Juneteenth a state holiday in 2022. 

“When the bill was passed, it was bipartisan, and it’s just a way to mark the end of slavery, which means so much to people of color, and especially African Americans,” Buckner said.

Buckner said she received “hate mail” after the Juneteenth bill was introduced from those who questioned the importance of the holiday, which she said many Black people call “America’s second Independence Day.”

“It’s definitely a day of reflection on how far we have come as African Americans since slavery, and how we need to keep that history alive with our families and friends,” she said.

Juneteenth has been celebrated as a holiday for decades before it was officially recognized as such, and Buckner said it took legislators many years to pass the legislation.

“Juneteenth is in the hearts of all African Americans,” Buckner said. “So even if this holiday is ever considered banned, I think people will still find a way to celebrate that day.”

How did Juneteenth start?

The celebrations began with enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863, it could not be enforced in many places in the South until the Civil War ended in 1865. Even then, some white people who had profited from their unpaid labor were reluctant to share the news.

Laura Smalley, freed from a plantation near Bellville, Texas, remembered in a 1941 interview that the man she referred to as “old master” came home from fighting in the Civil War and didn’t tell the people he enslaved what had happened.

“Old master didn’t tell, you know, they was free,” Smalley said. “I think now they say they worked them, six months after that. Six months. And turn them loose on the 19th of June. That’s why, you know, we celebrate that day.”

News that the war had ended and they were free finally reached Galveston when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arrived in the Gulf Coast city on June 19, 1865, more than two months after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia.

Granger delivered General Order No. 3, which said: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

Slavery was permanently abolished six months later, when Georgia ratified the 13th Amendment. And the next year, the now-free people of Galveston started celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that has continued and spread around the world. Events include concerts, parades and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation.

What does ‘Juneteenth’ mean?

It’s a blend of the words June and nineteenth. The holiday has also been called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, second Independence Day and Emancipation Day.

It began with church picnics and speeches, and spread as Black Texans moved elsewhere.

Most U.S. states now hold celebrations honoring Juneteenth as a holiday or a day of recognition, like Flag Day. Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada as well. Hundreds of companies give workers the day off.

Opal Lee, a former teacher and activist, is largely credited for rallying others behind a campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. The 96-year-old had vivid memories of celebrating Juneteenth in East Texas as a child with music, food and games. In 2016, the “little old lady in tennis shoes” walked through her home city of Fort Worth, Texas and then in other cities before arriving in Washington, D.C. Soon, celebrities and politicians were lending their support.

Lee was one of the people standing next to Biden when he signed Juneteenth into law.

How have Juneteenth celebrations evolved over the years?

The national reckoning over race ignited by the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police helped set the stage for Juneteenth to become the first new federal holiday since 1983, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and had 60 co-sponsors, a show of bipartisan support as lawmakers struggled to overcome divisions that are still simmering three years later.

Now there is a movement to use the holiday as an opportunity for activism and education, with community service projects aimed at addressing racial disparities and educational panels on topics such as health care inequities and the need for parks and green spaces.

Like most holidays, Juneteenth has also seen its fair share of commercialism. Retailers, museums and other venues have capitalized on it by selling Juneteenth-themed T-shirts, party ware and ice cream. Some of the marketing has misfired, provoking a social media backlash.

Supporters of the holiday have also worked to make sure Juneteenth celebrators don’t forget why the day exists.

“In 1776 the country was freed from the British, but the people were not all free,” Dee Evans, national director of communications of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, said in 2019. “June 19, 1865, was actually when the people and the entire country was actually free.”

There’s also sentiment to use the day to remember the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the United States — especially in these racially and politically charged days.

Said Para LaNell Agboga, museum site coordinator at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, Texas: “Our freedoms are fragile, and it doesn’t take much for things to go backward.

Should someone celebrate or observe Juneteenth? 

People who never gave the June 19 holiday more than a passing thought may be asking themselves, is there a “right” way to celebrate Juneteenth?

For beginners and those brushing up on history, here are some answers:

Is Juneteenth a solemn day of remembrance or more of a party?

It just depends on what you want. Juneteenth festivities are rooted in cookouts and barbecues. In the beginnings of the holiday celebrated as Black Americans’ true Independence Day, the outdoors allowed for large, raucous reunions among formerly enslaved families, many of whom had been separated. The gatherings were especially revolutionary because they were free of restrictive measures, known as “Black Codes,” enforced in Confederate states, controlling whether liberated slaves could vote, buy property, gather for worship and other aspects of daily life.

Others may choose to treat Juneteenth as a day of rest and remembrance. That can mean doing community service, attending an education panel or taking time off.

The important thing is to make people feel they have options on how to observe the occasion, said Dr. David Anderson, a Black pastor and CEO of Gracism Global, a consulting firm helping leaders navigate conversations bridging divides across race and culture.

“Just like the Martin Luther King holiday, we say it’s a day of service and a lot of people will do things. There are a lot of other people who are just ‘I appreciate Dr. King, I’ll watch what’s on the television, and I’m gonna rest,’” Anderson said. “I don’t want to make people feel guilty about that. What I want to do is give everyday people a choice.”

What if you’ve never celebrated Juneteenth?

Anderson never did anything on Juneteenth in his youth. He didn’t learn about it until his 30s.

“I think many folks haven’t known about it — who are even my color as an African American male. Even if you heard about it and knew about it, you didn’t celebrate it,” Anderson said. “It was like just a part of history. It wasn’t a celebration of history.”

For many African Americans, the farther away from Texas that they grew up in increased the likelihood they didn’t have big Juneteenth celebrations regularly. In the South, the day can vary based on when word of Emancipation reached each state.

>>>BBBB>>What kind of public Juneteenth events are going on around the country? Search online and you will find a smorgasbord of gatherings in major cities and suburbs all varying in scope and tone. Some are more carnival-esque festivals with food trucks, arts and crafts and parades. Within those festivals, you’ll likely find access to professionals in health care, finance and community resources. There also are concerts and fashion shows to highlight Black excellence and creativity. For those who want to look back, plenty of organizations and universities host panels to remind people of Juneteenth’s history.

The National Park Service is making entry into all sites free on the holiday. Several parks will be hosting Juneteenth commemorations this week.

There is no U.S. Mail service on Juneteenth. The stock markets are closed, as well as most banks.

Are there special foods served on Juneteenth?

Aside from barbecue, the color red has been a through line for Juneteenth food for generations. Red symbolizes the bloodshed and sacrifice of enslaved ancestors. A Juneteenth menu might incorporate items like barbecued ribs or other red meat, watermelon and red velvet cake. Drinks like fruit punch and red Kool-Aid may make an appearance at the table.

Does how you celebrate Juneteenth matter if you aren’t Black?

Dr. Karida Brown, a sociology professor at Emory University whose research focuses on race, said there’s no reason to feel awkward about wanting to recognize Juneteenth just because you have no personal ties or you’re not Black. In fact, embrace it.

“I would reframe that and challenge my non-Black folks who want to lean into Juneteenth and celebrate,” Brown said. “It absolutely is your history. It absolutely is a part of your experience. … Isn’t this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom for your Black brothers and sisters under the Constitution of the law.”

If you want to bring some authenticity to your recognition of Juneteenth, educate yourself. Attending a street festival or patronizing a Black-owned business is a good start but it also would be good to “make your mind better,” Anderson said.

“That goes longer than a celebration,” Anderson said. “I think Black people need to do it too because it’s new for us as well, in America. But for non-Black people, if they could read on this topic and read on Black history beyond Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, that would show me that you’re really serious about growing in this area.”

If you’re struggling with how to “ethically” mark the day, Brown also suggested expanding your knowledge of why the holiday matters so much. That can be through reading, attending an event or going to an African American history museum if there’s one nearby.

“Have that full human experience of seeing yourself in and through the eyes of others, even if that’s not your own lived experience,” she said. “That is a radical human act that is awesome and should be encouraged and celebrated.”

What are other names used to refer to Juneteenth?

Over the decades, Juneteenth has also been called Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Black Fourth of July and second Independence Day among others.

“Because 1776, Fourth of July, where we’re celebrating freedom and liberty and all of that, that did not include my descendants,” Brown said. “Black people in America were still enslaved. So that that holiday always comes with a bittersweet tinge to it.”

Is there a proper Juneteenth greeting? It’s typical to wish people a “Happy Juneteenth” or “Happy Teenth,” according to Alan Freeman, a comedian organizing a Juneteenth comedy festival in Galveston, Texas for the second straight year.

“You know how at Christmas people will say ‘Merry Christmas’ to each other and not even know each other?” Freeman said. “You can get a ‘Merry Christmas’ from everybody. This is the same way.”

Denver Juneteenth Music Festival and parade was on June 15

For decades, the center of festivities and inspiration for celebrating Juneteenth in the metro area has been in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. The festival was limited to one day this year.

Juneteenth Aurora Celebration June 21

In Aurora, the main attraction is June 21 at the Town Center of Aurora Mall.

Sponsored by the Aurora NAACP, the City of Aurora and the Town Center mall, the event is scheduled 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. It’s a free event outside the food court on the east side of the mall and will offer live music, speakers, games for kids and families, local vendor booths and more.

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