Juneteenth celebration around the city of Buffalo

Buffalo Common Council Member Zeneta Everhart talks about all the Juneteenth events happening around the city of Buffalo this year.

“Buffalo has celebrated Juneteenth for 49 consecutive years,” she said. “June 16 has always been special, especially in my family, but this year for me it is a little more special. It’s true. So I am the municipal councilor representing the district of Masten, in which the June 16th and it’s just an incredible event. I mean, thousands and thousands of people participate in the parade, but also, it’s always the consequence of the parade for me, just seeing so many different people. in the Martin Luther King Park community. I sell different things in the community, there’s always food there, there’ll be bands and performances But it’s always like a rich cultural experience and for me. , it’s really the people, the people are just happy to go out.”

“The theme for this year (the first family reunion) is ‘And I Still Rise’ and that is uniquely synonymous with black people. Despite it all, we are still here and we persist in doing amazing things because we We’re an amazing people and so one of the things that, you know, when I started as a city councilor just a few months ago, one of the things that I really wanted to do was organize a community event. family type, and so in Black families and communities, we know it’s all about family reunion And that’s what we’re doing on Wednesday, June 19th. not just raised by my family, I was raised by the neighbors on the corner, on the corner and when I was a kid, I knew all my neighbors I feel like we. We’re away from that in the black community, and I want to bring that back, I want to bring back the village mentality And I think the Masten neighborhood functions like a family, so I want to bring them all together. We are going to celebrate each other, we are going to celebrate family and the unity that black communities bring to different cultures. . People say all the time that black people are the soul of this country, and we really are and I want that to be evident at this event. »

“As a city councilor, yes, representation matters. It’s important that someone who has been through the myriad of issues in East Buffalo now sits in City Hall and is able to make changes in our city I’m just honored to be in this space and honored that the community saw something in me that, truth be told, I didn’t even see it myself, I just want to give back to the city. proud, I just want to give them what they deserve.

You can hear the full conversation between Zeneta Everhart and JoDee Kenney via the video player above. And don’t forget to take a look at the biggest issues affecting Upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney – every Sunday. Spectrum News 1.