Brookliners, a few wearing glittery cowboy hats and neckerchiefs, waited their turns to ride a bucking mechanical bull outside the Ridley School at this year’s Texas-themed Juneteenth block party.
Juneteenth, a federal holiday since 2021, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, received the news they were free, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
“Every year we try to bring something different. This year we said, ‘Why not cowboys?’ Since it started in Texas,” said Daphne Oge, a member of Brookline for the Culture, the community organization that hosts the block party in partnership with the town each summer.
Organizers decided on the theme, “the Freedom Frontier,” to honor the legacy of the trailblazers who organized the first Juneteenth celebrations, which began in Galveston before spreading across the South.
In the 90-degree heat, Brookline celebrated with line dancing, soul food and clothing and jewelry showcases by Black artists.
At picnic tables draped in black-and-white cow print tablecloths, families sipped lemonade and cooled off with mini spray fans. Nearby, kids slid down an inflatable waterslide while others decorated a banner that read “Happy Juneteenth.”
“I’ve been coming for three years. The vibes are great. It’s always a fun time,” said 30-year-old Jamie Hodges, who helps run Lady C&J Cafe, a family-owned restaurant in Brockton that specializes in soul food.
Other vendors were already providing Lady C&J’s typical fare of mac-and-cheese and collard greens, so Hodges and her twin sister served piña coladas and “walking tacos” — small bags of Fritos filled with taco toppings.
Zahriyannah Karakashian-Jones, who co-founded Brookline for the Community with her friend, Adena Walker, said they started the Juneteenth block party four years ago because they wanted to create more culturally inclusive events in Brookline.
“It’s gathering and coming together and learning about the history of each other. It’s being kind to one another and getting to know your neighbor,” Karakashian-Jones said.
As a second-generation Brookline resident, Karakashian-Jones said her grandparents were among the first Black families to move to Brookline.
“It’s so beautiful to see how the town has transformed, not only visually, but equitably,” she said.
The choice to hold the block party at the Florida Ruffin Ridley was intentional and a way to reclaim the space, she said.
The school, previously named after Edward Devotion, a slave owner, was renamed in 2019 in honor of Florida Ruffin Ridley, a civil rights activist, suffragist and one of the first Black public school teachers in Boston.
Attractions also paid homage to important living figures in the Black community and acknowledged the global influences that make up Black culture.
In the background, Rihanna played as part of an all-Black artists playlist that DJ Cheyenne Johnson had curated. She stood on stage, dancing over her soundboard, as music blared.
“As a Black woman, I feel really good to be able to give back to my community, DJing for the event, but also just having people around having fun, all the kids are jumping around, everybody’s getting food, it’s beautiful to be a part of something like that,” she said.
Widline Pyrame started a business six years ago with the goal of celebrating Black beauty, she said. Fusion Dolls, which is based in South Easton, sells multicultural dolls.
“When I was younger we didn’t have dolls that looked like us,” Pyrame said, cooling off with a paper fan. “I wore my hair completely straight. I even managed to crimp my hair without my mom knowing.”
“It’s so important for us to be able to love who we are, where we are from and celebrate our differences,” she continued.
Karakashian-Jones felt that it was vital to preserve events that ask the community to reflect on its history even at a time when continued federal attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have made those harder to sustain across the nation.
“There’s always this perception that because we live in the North, or in Boston or in Brookline, that we’re such a progressive society that has never had any ties to slavery, or antisemitism or Islamophobia, she said. “Those things happen right here in our community.”
“The more that we celebrate events like this, the more that we show people that we can come together and the more open people are to be who they want to be,” she said.
For Oge, Juneteenth represented one of the most important days of the year. “We only have one day to show that we are here, and this matters for us,” she said.