Indy Juneteenth celebration carries on despite canceled parade, heat advisory and sponsor withdrawals

People gathered on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth at the Indiana State Fairgrounds to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

June 19 is the day in 1865 when troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform some of the 250,000 still enslaved Black Americans that they were free. But even after that day, it took a long time for thousands of enslaved people to be freed.

President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021, officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the U.S. 

Despite a canceled parade and a heat advisory in Indianapolis, the celebration drew many people and featured food trucks, local vendors, and live performances.

James Webb, co-founder and executive director of Indy Juneteenth — the organization behind the event — said the spirit of the day remained intact, even without the parade, which was canceled due to permit issues with the city.

Webb said Indy Juneteenth’s eighth annual celebration brought the community together “for something positive, something beautiful.”

Webb noted that several sponsors withdrew their support this year due to financial constraints. Still, he said the event went on as planned, thanks to the dedication of volunteers and community partners.

Juneteenth celebrations carried on nationwide despite new challenges this year, including funders pulling out and moving to smaller, indoor spaces because of safety concerns. 

On June 19, President Donald Trump complained on social media that "too many non-working holidays" are "costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed." But, since Juneteenth is a federal holiday, it is mainly government agencies and federal workers who get the day off. 

Tamekia Ruffin, the owner of Betty’s Country Cooking in Indianapolis, sold soul food as a vendor at the event. She said the name of her company is a tribute to her grandmother, and the past members of her family who were enslaved. 

“I wanted to get my soul food out there,” Ruffin said. “My grandmother, you know, she's from the south of Mississippi. And we had ancestors that wasn't freed. So it's very important to us.” 

Laila Saahir, who is originally from Cameroon, owns Afrikan Authentix, an online clothing boutique that sells handmade African clothing and accessories. Saahir, who married an Indianapolis native, said she didn’t know the meaning of Juneteenth until moving to America. 

Now, the event means a lot to both her and her husband. 

“We have always attended the Juneteenth celebration, but he's an African American, and I'm an African who learned about African American history after I met him and he explained the meaning of this event,” Saahir said. 

“It's something we always want to be proud of.” 

Farrah Anderson is an investigative health reporter with WFYI and Side Effects Public Media. You can follow her on X at @farrahsoa or by email at fanderson@wfyi.org.