“We have to celebrate freedom. We have to recognize that it is not a given.”
Mt. Lebanon Juneteenth brought the community together to celebrate freedom, commemorate the past, and educate the future.
The fourth annual celebration in Mt. Lebanon, Pa., took place in June 2024 at Mt. Lebanon Park. The event featured food, fun, music, and a chance for community members to get to know each other better.
Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is celebrated annually on June 19. It commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and the end of slavery in the United States.
UPMC proudly sponsors Juneteenth community events like the celebration in Mt. Lebanon and the Juneteenth parade in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Jamie Freeman, the founder of Mt. Lebanon Juneteenth, believes it's important for Black Americans to feel represented in their communities.
“We have staple events that are unique to our culture,” Jamie says. “We wanted to not only teach the next generation but also teach our neighbors that we're here and this is what we do to celebrate.”
Mt. Lebanon Juneteenth co-chair Danielle Walker says she found many Black community members did not celebrate the holiday growing up.
In recent years, however, there has been more recognition and support of Juneteenth. In 2021, it was declared a federal holiday.
“This awareness is important,” Danielle says. “You have to continue to embody what you want to see your United States of America to look like.
“It is a diverse, beautiful place, and we need to continue to celebrate everyone's culture. We need to bring everyone together because my family looks like your family. And what families look like is love.”
Like Jamie, Danielle also believes in educating the younger generation by honoring the sacrifices of those who came before them.
“It's important that we instill and plant these seeds in our children so that we can celebrate freedom and never forget our ancestors and our enslaved persons in this country where we came from,” Danielle says.
“We have to celebrate freedom. We have to recognize that it is not a given. It is a fought struggle every day, day in and day out, with blood, sweat, and tears.”
Historical events like the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 may seem like a long time ago. But Jamie cautions that the current generation is not far removed from history. She says her mother was an elementary school student when schools in Virginia Beach, Va., were desegregated.
“She was one of the first ones in third grade to be bused across,” Jamie says. “Kids need to know that (their) direct ancestors, (their) grandmother, (their) mother ... there's still the fight that we fight, unfortunately.
“But we are here, and people are listening. That’s the big thing. It’s not just for us, but also for our community.”
Danielle says she loves how the tight-knit community of Mt. Lebanon is willing to embrace others. She and Jamie are excited about the community’s Juneteenth celebration getting even bigger in the coming years.
The event has grown each year through the support of community sponsors like UPMC.
“It's nice knowing that UPMC is in our backyard, and they're sponsoring our event, and they are part of our community,” Jamie says.
At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means celebrating freedom by honoring Black history.
For more information about Mt. Lebanon Juneteenth, contact juneteenth@lebopride.org.
