GREENWOOD Dist. — North Tulsa was illuminated with vibrancy this past weekend as the hallowed Greenwood District, affectionately known as Black Wall Street, hosted its 10th Annual Tulsa Juneteenth Festival, marking 159 years since African American emancipation.
Star-Studded Lineup at 10th Annual Tulsa Juneteenth Festival
This year’s festivities encompassed a rich tapestry of cultural performances, a dazzling rooftop fashion showcase, enlightening educational sessions, and an array of family-centric activities spanning three weeks. In addition, this year’s milestone celebration boasted a constellation of stars, including the soulful talents of Keke Wyatt, the legendary H-Town, and the incomparable Tamar Braxton.
“It was an honor to serve our community once again this year. It was a great success with both record numbers and outstanding new editions to the festival. We are deeply thankful to all the sponsors, artists, volunteers, vendors, and attendees who joined us to celebrate for the 10th year and continue this rich legacy,” Executive Director Lauren Evans told The Black Wall Street Times.
“Despite a few sound issues on the main stage, we are incredibly grateful for the understanding shown by this year’s major headliners and the community. We promise to get it right next year,” Evans added.
National Sponsors at Tulsa Juneteenth
This year’s Juneteenth included an array of local and national sponsors, including the Sierra Club.
The national organization is partnering with the Historic Greenwood District Black Wall Street Coalition to make Black Wall Street a national monument. Moreover, Ben Jealous, the executive director of the national organization, believes that the policy on a national monument might pass before summer ends.
“We might be able to get it done this summer. But we need you to call The White House.” Ben Jealous said, addressing the large crowd of Juneteenth attendees. He added, “Because the massacre that happened here deserves commemoration. Because our nation needs to remember and learn so we can go forward, not backward.”
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Continue the Spirit of Entrepreneurship on Black Wall Street at Tulsa Juneteenth
This year’s Juneteenth festival featured a Black entrepreneurship panel discussion showcasing local entrepreneurs Kelsey Davis, founder of CLLCTVE and Every Human, Tray Thaxton, CEO of Greenwood Ave, creative expert and founder of Reality Trail Jocelyn Ferguson, and Renault Porter, owner of LeRoux’s Kitchen. Subsequently, following the panel discussion, there was a pitch competition.
Winners include Afropop Co, who took home the grand prize of $10,000. The next prize went to Xclusive, who took home the 2nd place award of $7,500. In third, Kings Way, who took home $5,000. However, many entrepreneurs who entered the competition received smaller $1,000 investments.
“We were honored to participate with the Tulsa Juneteenth team and help to sponsor this year’s pitch competition. Atento Capital is proud to invest in entrepreneurs with great ideas from all over and especially in Greenwood District,” Brentom Todd, Community Outreach Manager of Atento Capital, told The Black Wall Street Times.
Build in Tulsa also sponsored this year’s pitch competition and panel.
If you missed this year’s main event, don’t sweat it. There is one final Tulsa Juneteenth celebration event taking place this Thursday, June 20, at Guthrie Green. The movie Night on the Lawn will feature “Riding Legacy,” a film about Black Oklahoma Cowboy’s past, present, and future.
This Year’s Juneteenth Media Coverage Sponsors
Two local sponsors made this year’s media coverage possible: Tulsa Remote and Atlas School. Tulsa Remote is a program that commits to bringing talented individuals to Tulsa. Moreover, the program aims to recruit new residents and show them that T-town is a friendly hub for remote workers. Atlas School is an innovative and accessible computer science school that fosters diverse tech talent and creativity within our city.