Part civic event and part block party, Juneteenth Day brings African American community together

For the second year in a row, poor weather threatened Milwaukee's Juneteenth Day celebration.

But despite intermittent rain and temperatures hovering in the low 50s, festive crowds came out to King Drive on Wednesday to commemorate the 154th anniversary of emancipation in America.

The celebration, which began as a parade in the morning and turned into a block party in the afternoon, doubled as a sendoff for McArthur "Mac" Weddle, the executive director of Northcott Neighborhood House, a multipurpose community organization.

Weddle has spearheaded Milwaukee's Juneteenth Day celebration since he came to Northcott in 1977 (Milwaukee's first Juneteenth Day celebration was in 1971). He will be retiring this weekend. 

At the opening ceremony, Weddle received official commendations from Gov. Tony Evers, Mayor Tom Barrett and the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus. 

"We want to recognize what Mac has done for this community and all of the efforts he has given to this community and to Northcott Neighborhood House," said David Crowley, chair of the Black Caucus. 

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes added, "This would not be the biggest Juneteenth celebration in the country if it were not for Mac Weddle and all of his hard work."

Community leaders and politicians urged the celebrants to use the holiday as an occasion to look back and appreciate their ancestors' struggle for racial justice. 

"Let us celebrate our ancestors who came across the ocean, those that didn't make it and those that did, who went south, north, east and west, from South America to Canada, wherever they could find a place and make a living," said community leader Tyrone Dumas at the opening ceremony.

"This is the 400th year since the arrival of slaves in Jamestown, Virginia. One-hundred-fifty-four years of freedom — that means that for 246 years, we weren't free," added Barnes. "We've been free for fewer years than we've been enslaved."

But those who spoke at the opening ceremony also had their eyes on the future. 

Wednesday morning, a U.S. House committee in Washington convened to discuss the possibility of forming a national commission to study the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow and make proposals on reparations for African Americans. Several speakers at the opening ceremony referenced the hearing.

"I'm proud that we're talking about reparations in Congress right now," said Barnes. "Because a whole debt is owed to us."

"If you don't support reparations, we're not going to support you," said community leader Janette Herrera, who led the crowd in a chant of "Reparations Now." Herrera called for government investment in housing, health care, prison reform and education to benefit black communities. 

For Milwaukee residents who have been coming to the celebration for decades, Juneteenth Day represents an opportunity for the city's residents to draw attention to lingering problems in the community.

"We need to show our support to keep this celebration going and bring money back into the neighborhood and support local businesses," said Troy Johnson, a District 4 police officer and president of the League of Martin, an association of African American police officers. Johnson said he's been attending Juneteenth Day in Milwaukee for almost four decades. 

Latanya Lindsay, who works with the city's Department of Neighborhood Services, has also been coming to Juneteenth Day for decades — 45 years to be exact. The first time she came was when she was 5 years old. 

"(Juneteenth Day) means a lot to the community … it's been big here forever," she said. "It's good to still connect to the community. There’s not as many festivals that represent stuff for black people."