This is a small archive of information about how Juneteenth has been interpreted since its establishment on June 19th, 1865. You’ll also find information about celebratory events within North Omaha this year, 2021, the year Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday with legislation passing through both the House and Senate.

By: Adam Ortega, Kietryn Zychal, Myles Davis, Emily Chen-Newton and Lyndsay Dunn

Juneteenth is the holiday celebrating the emancipation of Black Americans who were enslaved in the southern United States by the Confederacy. It’s the oldest nationally celebrated remembrance of the end of slavery in the country. According to National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, the holiday is the observance to celebrate when soldiers enforced the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all remaining slaves in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.
Although Abraham Lincoln issued the order on January 1, 1863, the actual emancipation was not enforced in the last state practicing slavery, Texas, until General Gordon Granger went to Texas and issued General Order #3, on the “19th of June” - two and a half years after Lincoln signed the proclamation.

on june 18th 2021, a crowd gathered around 19th and Farnam at the Douglas County Courthouse for the unveiling of the Will Brown Historic Marker, in tribute to the lynching of a black civilian, Will Brown in 1919.

In 1919, a race riot took place for two days. The devastating riot resulted in the lynching of Will Brown, a 41-year-old Black male worker in Omaha’s vastly popular meatpacking plant industry. Back in the 1900s, Omaha recruited Black workers in the industry to replace strikebreakers - a person who is employed in place of others who are on strike. According to America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM), this made them unpopular with European immigrants who had never competed for a job. Will Brown was lynched in Omaha in 1919 for allegedly raping a white woman who could not later identify him, according to ABHM.

The Omaha Daily Bee, a leading Republican newspaper in Omaha in the 1900s, often printed outright racist articles about Black men in the metro. In September 25, 1919, a white woman named Agnes Loebeck accused a Black man of raping her. Although she could not identify her perpetrator, police arrested Will Brown. A few days later a crowd of white youths stood outside the Omaha courthouse. ABHM said a crowd grew between 5,000-15,000 spectators and began shooting firearms into the courthouse. The mob eventually captured Will Brown from the courthouse and brutally tortured him, and then pouring gasoline on him and burning his body. They also posed for a grim photo with the body.

A historical marker was unveiled at the Douglas County Courthouse Friday, June 18th, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. commemorating the lynching of Brown in 1919. Omaha NAACP President Vickie Young said the Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation (OCCRJR) was formed in 2018 to coordinate efforts to memorializing and raise awareness of a legacy of racial violence and injustice in Douglas County.

NorthOmahaHistory.com is a project to research places and events that make North Omaha a great place.

Now that we know a little history, why is it important that we address the historic event within our own community? Adam F.C. Fletcher Sasse created North Omaha History, which is a huge journalistic database recalling all sorts of history within North Omaha. He published the article History of Emancipation Day and Juneteenth in Omaha a few years ago featuring plenty of information on how the holiday came to be celebrated in Omaha. According to Fletcher, Emancipation Day was first celebrated in Omaha in 1891, and Juneteenth was first celebrated in 1977.

Fletcher Sasse continues to discuss how although Nebraska as a territory abolished slavery a year before Lincoln issued the proclamation, state legislators limited suffrage to white males. This delayed their entrance into the Union until the legislature finally changed it. Fletcher Sasse’s comprehensive article (and website) contains everything you need to know about Nebraska’s history regarding Juneteenth.

celebrating black business and highlighting events within the community

the Omaha freedom festival

Dates: Saturday, June 19, 2021 12pm-12am

Cost: General Admission is free from 12pm-6pm, evening concert prices here.

Location: Malcolm X Memorial Foundations’s Outdoor Amphitheater 3448, Evans St.

With the return of live events all across the country, the nonprofit Freedomtainment is hosting The Omaha Freedom Festival on June 19th, 2021 at the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation’s Outdoor Amphitheater located at 3448 Evans St. According to the nonprofit, “The Omaha Freedom Festival is hosted by Freedomtainment, a 501c3 non-profit organization located in North Omaha, Nebraska, and celebrates the Juneteenth holiday which honors the emancipation of those enslaved in the United States.” The purpose of the festival is to “educate, empower and entertain” the community about North Omaha culture while also bringing awareness to “local, social and business resources.”

The event features a full day of activities from 12pm-5:30pm, including family-friendly activities, keynote speakers and a vaccination station. The day is followed by a concert from 7pm-midnight.

taste of North Omaha

Dates: Friday, June 18th 4pm til 9pm

Saturday, june 19th 12pm til 6pm:

Cost: Free to attend

Location: Eagles Nest Worship Center 5775 Sorensen Pkwy.

Taste of North Omaha is an annual event celebrating some of the best culinary treats and dishes within North Omaha. The free to attend event, located at Eagles Nest Worship Center at 5775 Sorensen Pkwy., was founded by Malcom E. Tiller. The indoor event, previously outdoor last year due to the pandemic, features plenty of food vendors and businesses selling their delicious dishes in an informal setting.

Tiller currently works for 100 Black Men of Omaha, Inc., an alliance of leading Black American men from various professions including community leaders, business executives, physicians, attorneys and more. Tiller said he created Taste of North Omaha to “create a platform for up and coming business centered around food but also include other businesses.”

Tiller also teamed up with P3 Consulting, LLC. to present the Taste of North Omaha Scholarship. Tiller said the scholarship “recognizes academically or career promising students from diverse backgrounds who often find that the financial requirements of postsecondary education are a major obstacle.”

Historical marker dedication for Will Brown

Dates: Friday, June 18th at 11:30 a.m.

Location: north lawn of the Douglas County Courthouse

A ceremony to unveil the historical marker recognizing the lynching of Will Brown will be held on Friday, June 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse. The ceremony will be on the north side of the courthouse at 17th and Farnam (rain or shine).

The event is part of the Equal Justice Initiative's Community Remembrance Project. An EJI representative will speak at the event and recognize the finalists of a racial justice essay contest. The Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation organized this event, a follow-up to the 100th anniversary events in 2019.

Reception with cake and punch to follow. Parking is on-street and at the parking garage on the corner of 19th and Harney. Bring a chair or plan to stand for the short program. Very limited seating will be available for those who need it.

Imani Murray Photo credit: Ariel Panowicz

Grand opening of Ital vital Living:

Dates: Saturday, June 19th, from 10am to 6pm

Location: 2323 North 24th Street.

The grand opening of Ital Vital is Saturday June 19th, 2021. Shop owner Imani Murray opened Ital Vital Living after creating a YouTube channel focused on vegan-friendly cooking. After her cooking tutorials found success on YouTube, she “started actually selling juice and smoothies to others!” The colorful cuisines are sold as smoothie bowls and juices and offer a wide variety of flavors filled with multiple fruits and vegetables. According to Murray’s website, she’s excited to provide healthy, affordable options to everyone.

Culxr house Juneteenth Celebration 2021

Date: June 19, 5pm

Location: 3014 N 24th street

Culxr House, a creative hub that focuses on providing creatives a safe space to grow their skills, is hosting a day of celebrations on Juneteenth. Their space, located at 3014 N. 24th St., features art for sale by various local artists. The whole day features events including a bike ride. More information here.

Celebrating Juneteenth: local and national contexts