Excitement is in Ras Jomo Okono’s voice as he talks about this year’s Juneteenth Festival, the 48th consecutive year of the festival in the City of Buffalo.
Juneteenth was unofficially kicked off Friday with the raising of the Pan-African Liberation Flag in Niagara Square.
“There are approximately 20 days’ worth of activities in the month of June for affiliations of Juneteenth festival,” Okono said. “[And] also going into July, also going into August. So, what is really happening with Juneteenth is that it's comprised of committees and all of the committees that are working in the community, adding and putting things together that's beneficial for the community.”
Okono is the executive vice president of Buffalo’s Juneteenth Festival that honors the day when African slaves in Texas learned of their emancipation two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Buffalo’s Juneteenth Festival is one of the largest in the country, punctuated by a parade around Martin Luther King Junior Park on June 17.
It’s the parade that Okono is most excited to take part in.
“The parade is probably going to be maybe one of the most spectacular this year than ever before," he said.
In 2020 and 2021, the festival was done virtually due to the pandemic. Last year was a smaller, more somber gathering following the tragedy of the May 14 Tops shooting.
But talk to Okono and he’ll tell you the city is prepared for positive vibes this year as the festival steadily approaches Year 50.
