Not only is Juneteenth now recognized as a federal holiday -- this year it's also become the beginning of Philadelphia's big summer celebration of freedom.
Wawa Welcome America starts Saturday, kicking off the 16-day festival that will end on July 4.
As its first event, Wawa Welcome America is partnering with Visit Philadelphia and the African American Museum in Philadelphia to assemble a program to raise awareness of and commemorate Juneteenth.
“I wanted our festival to tell the story of our nation’s history not just through the eyes of the founding fathers, but through the lives and voices and experiences of all Americans,” said Michael DelBene, president and CEO of Welcome America.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
The festival's mission is to promote American history, education -- and Philadelphia.
“There are a lot of important dates in the last 245 years that we could focus on, but it's important for us to make sure that when we expand the scope of our festival and try to tell our story in a different way, that we don’t do it by just piling on more of the same history,” DelBene said.
“We want to make sure that the conversations that we’re having and the dialogues that we’re fostering are around the growth of our nation.”
Wawa Welcome America
16 days of free events celebrating Freedom and Liberty | June 19 – July 4, 2023
So what is Juneteenth, and what is its importance?
Juneteenth's Importance
Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and signed in 1863, it was not enforced in many places until the end of the Civil War in 1865.
It was not until June 19, 1865, that free slaves in Galveston, Texas, were able to celebrate their freedom from enslavement for the first time.
Previous to July 17, 2021, states including Texas, Virginia, New York and Washington recognized Juneteenth as a holiday or day of recognition. Now, Juneteenth is officially the nation’s 11th federal holiday.
Juneteenth in Philadelphia
In association with AAMP, Wawa Welcome America is starting off Philadelphia’s Wawa Welcome America festival with a daylong block party at AAMP with live music, local vendors and a free opportunity to visit the African American Museum in Philadelphia and learn about the importance of Juneteenth and African-American culture.
Other opportunities for commemorating Juneteeth and African American history with Wawa Welcome America include:
- Make-and-take arts and crafts provided by PECO Go 4th & Learn: Juneteenth on June 19 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at AAMP.
- A drive-in feature of "Tulsa: the Fire and the Forgotten" provided by Philadelphia Film Society, AAMP and WHYY on June 21 from 9 p.m. to 11:10 p.m. at PFS Drive-In at the Navy Yard.
The goal of all the programming is to build a link between two holidays that commemorate freedom: Juneteenth and July 4.
“This is a trailblazing moment for our city and for our festival," DelBene said. "We are humbled to be given the opportunity to connect these two important dates in American history, and to talk about what makes them incredibly similar in many ways -- but also strikingly different in many ways.”
