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04-19-2024 11:19 am • PDX and SEA Weather
MLK Breakfast
Three years into celebrating Juneteenth as a state and federal holiday, local communities are forging and maintaining new traditions. From the inaugural 8 Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo at the Expo Center to the returning F(Read)om Festival, PRIDE Juneteenth events and art demos and outdoor concerts, Portland is showing up for Juneteenth.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas to enforce freedom for enslaved people throughout the state – a full two months after the Confederacy had surrendered, ending the Civil War.
Avel Gordly, Oregon’s first Black woman senator, led the charge to make Juneteenth a statewide holiday in 2001. Her efforts came to fruition in 2021.
5:30 – 7:30 PM: Summer Connections - There will be guest speakers, entertainment, children’s activities, booths, food and fun. This includes salsa dance and Jazzercise demonstrations, a DJ spinning tunes, bingo, cornhole, a photo booth and local vendors sharing information about summer activities and community services. Participants will also have opportunities to learn about Juneteenth and Pride Month. Clackamas Community College, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.
11 AM - 3 PM: Juneteenth Celebration at Zenger Farm - Black-led organizations and vendors, lunch by community chefs and more! There will be a Community Chefs Wellness Station, DIY demos, arts and crafts for all ages and a live DJ. Free. Register free using code here: zengerfarm.org/events-page.
5 - 11 PM: Juneteenth Cookout - BNO entertainment hosts a free all-ages event with BIPOC-owned business booths, food vendors and nonprofits, live DJs and a concert featuring local artists. There will also be a bar area for those 21 and over, kids’ activities, water games, a photo booth and more. Redd East Event Space, 831 SE Salmon St.
9 AM - 2 PM: Don't Shoot Portland x Art x Juneteenth History - Don’t Shoot Portland hosts a two-day series on art and activism, as well as printmaking and zine-making, for youth at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Open to the public and free of charge. Youth of all ages are welcome to attend, but children under 6 years old must be accompanied by a parent. Register here: eventbrite.com/e/dont-shoot-portland-x-art-x-juneteenth-history-with-pnca-tickets-640821192437.
10 AM: Black Liberation Pedalpalooza Ride - The seventh annual ride for Black + Brown Portlanders is kid-friendly and open to all rider levels. The ride will start at Irving Park, and finish at Lillis Albina Park for the Juneteenth Oregon Celebration. For more information, visit shift2bikes.org/calendar.
11 AM: Juneteenth Oregon Parade - Juneteenth Oregon’s two-day festivities start with a parade. The route begins at King Middle School (4906 NE 6th Ave), heads south on MLK Boulevard to Knott Street, west on Knott, and ends at N. Graham and N. Williams streets. Visit juneteenthor.com or pdxjazz.org for additional information.
10 AM - 1 PM: Queer & Black Trans Pride @ Juneteenth Oregon - B3C invites LGBTQ+ and friends to join the Juneteenth Oregon parade with soundmakers, flags, signs and friends to march in the name of Black joy, Black rest, Black histories and Black futures. Meet at King Middle School (4906 NE 6th Ave.)
11 AM - 3PM: Milwaukie Juneteenth Celebration - Live music, vendors and food. Water Tower Park, 9890 SE 40th Ave., Milwaukie.
2 - 4 PM: Juneteenth Paint with He(ART) - The Sellwood-Moreland Library presents an afternoon to explore the paintings that highlight the diversity of Black people with an emphasis on self-love, Black relationships with each other Black woman empowerment. Sellwood-Moreland Library, 7860 SE 13th Ave.
12 - 7 PM: Juneteenth Oregon concert - Juneteenth Oregon presents Cupid, BridgeCity Soul, Kirk Green, Greater Kind and Jason Neville Funky Soul Band. Lillis-Albina Park (N. Flint and N. Russell)
3 - 4:30 PM: Juneteenth & Black History Children's Film Showcase - Hillsdale Library hosts a viewing party of animated children's books to honor Juneteenth and Black history. Walk in anytime. Free. Hillsdale Library, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd.
11 AM - 12:30 PM: Unity of Portland Juneteenth Service - All are welcome for a rousing Juneteenth service featuring Dr. Roberta Suzette Hunte, Karen Trusty, LaRhonda Steele and the Interfaith Gospel Choir. 4525 SE Stark St.
12 - 6PM: Juneteenth Oregon concert - Juneteenth Oregon presents BridgeCity Jazz, Tyrone Hendrix & Jubu Smith, Alonzo Chadwick, Saeeda Wright and Arietta Ward. Lillis-Albina Park (N. Flint and N. Russell)
3 - 9 PM: 8 Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo - The inaugural event celebrates the history of prominence of Black cowboys throughout the country by “exposing the Pacific Northwest youth to the traditions, athleticism and grit of Black cowboys in America.” Watch some of the best Black rodeo athletes from across the country compete for a total of $60,000 in prizes spread across five events. (Read more about the 8 Seconds Rodeo here: Black Rodeo Comes to Town. Portland Expo Center 2060 Marine Dr.W.
4 PM: Celebrating Nostalgia in N Portland - a concert focused on the Black female voice. Also falling on Father’s Day, this show provides a special opportunity for dads to bond with daughters over this empowering music. Jazz pianist, composer and producer Charlie Brown III opens the show, performing with Portland-born singer-songwriter and award-winning actor Lo Steele, who calls attention to social issues. Cathedral Park, 8706 N Bradford St.
4 - 9 PM: Juneteenth Black QT Kickback - The Black & Binary Collective presents an all-ages event (until 7, with a happy hour at 7 p.m.), with catering by Calabash Authentic, a collective offering of gratitude toward ancestors and more. Please note this is a space exclusively for Black Queer and Trans folx. 633 SE Division St.
10 AM - 2 PM: Black Joy Brunch - The Black Parent Initiative hosts an uplifting event that centers Blackness “through food, music and community love,” with a presentation of the Black Joy Award, music by a live DJ and a buffet-style brunch from Marshawn Lynch’s BEASTRO. Hotel Vance Studio 201/The Loft, 1455 SW Broadway, Portland. For more information and to buy tickets, visit thebpi.org/event-details/black-joy-lunch.
12 - 6 PM: The F(read)om Festival - The second annual Black book festival will feature a book swap, a drive to collect books for Portland Books to Prisoners, a sign up booth for library cards and info about programing from the Multnomah County Library’s Black Cultural Library Advocates. There will also be story time for the kids with Jelani Memory, courtesy of Portland publisher A Kids Company About. Read more about the publisher here: Oprah Favorites Local Book Series. Peninsula Park, 700 N Rosa Parks Way. Read about the local woman who launched the festival here.
4 PM: Juneteenth Jubilee! - The Anti-Displacement Coalition celebrates its relaunch and Juneteenth with a panel featuring activists, scholars and community leaders who will discuss the effects of gentrification and the displacement of the Black community in Portland. There will be food and entertainment by a rapper, comedian and DJ. 133 SE Madison St.
5:30 PM: Juneteenth Celebration at Bush House - Please join the Salem Art Association for the official ribbon cutting ceremony for our new Waldo Bogle Gallery in the Bush House Museum. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with refreshments and will include special remarks by local artists.
7 – 11:30 PM: Juneteenth at CC Slaughters - Come celebrate at CC Slaughters. Tickets are $15, with comped tickets available for local Black Folks. 219 NW Davis St.
10 AM – 2:30 PM: Freedom Flows - Celebrating 50 years of Hip-HopPanels with special guests Sha-Rock, DJ Lady Love, and Jarobi from A Tribe Called Quest; Generating, recognizing, and living community through Besa Gordon's monthly mixer; and more. MoPOP, 325 5th Ave N.
7 – 10 PM: Constellation: Youth Mixer - Promenade through MoPOP’s exhibitions, meet-cute with peers and community organizations, craft your own culture-defining zine, show off your friends’ intergalactic dance moves, and more. Express yourself. Connect and inspire. Add your shine. MoPOP, 325 5th Ave N.
11 AM – 3 PM: Atlantic St Center’s 22nd Annual Celebration - For the 22nd year, a day honoring freedom will be hosted at the Rainier Beach Community Center. Free to all attendees, there will be entertainment, Black-owned small businesses, community resources for families, food, lawn games, and more. 8825 Rainier Ave.
2 – 6 PM: Bellingham Juneteenth Celebration - Juneteenth Celebrations are a positive platform for encouraging the acceptance of diversity and offer an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the sacrifices and challenges Enslaved Africans endured to achieve freedom. This event is free and open to the public, wheelchair accessible. ASL interpreting will be provided on request (please let us know by June 10th), and drop-ins are welcome. Maritime Heritage Park, 500 West Holly St Bellingham.
5 PM: Juneteenth Celebration at NAAM - Enjoy a day of family fun with NAAM at Sam Smith Park as celebrate with a youth night, soccer clinic, and game show. We will be hosting a KIP Book Giveaway and introducing the Sistah Sci fi Vending Machine. 2300 S Massachusetts St.
10 AM – 2 PM: Black Joy Brunch - a momentous event that promises to uplift, empower, and center Black joy in all its beautiful forms. Our Blackness will be centered and celebrated through food, music, and community love as we heal together and spread Black joy. 1455 SW Broadway.
10 AM – 3 PM: Juneteenth 2023 - music, vendors, food trucks, prizes, fun & games, mini-health fair, drum circle, and more. Cedar Valley Community School, 19200 56th Avenue, West Lynnwood.
6:19 PM: The Colorful Road of Freedom - LegallyBLACK's 4th annual Juneteenth Celebration is in collaboration with The New Generation 2.0. Live DJ, performances, food + cash giveaways. People's Park, 900 Martin Luther King Junior Way, Tacoma.
