The 47th Annual Juneteenth Festival is here! The Northcott Neighborhood House and the Milwaukee Police Department are working together again to make sure the event is both safe and fun.
Wisconsin Black Historical Society Museum's Executive Director Clayborn Benson says he's always loved Juneteenth. The family-friendly event brings hundreds of visitors to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive, where vendors line the street from Center to Burleigh peddling food, fun, and laughter.
Benson says the street festival highlights the historical significance of the date June 19th. June 19, 1865, was marked as two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law on January 1st, 1863.
This year's Juneteenth President, Mac Weddle, has been working this festival for the last 43 years. Weddle says each year the event has grown in size while continuously giving more to the community. This year visitors will have access to legal and medical advice, as well as, a job fair.
Milwaukee's Juneteenth Festival has a parade that'll start at 10 a.m. on 14th Street and Atkinson Avenue and travel south to end at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive and Burleigh. Opening ceremonies start at noon on the main stage at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Drive and Burleigh.
The festival runs from noon until 6 p.m.
