This month the CFOC Nonprofit Spotlight features The Oneonta Juneteenth Festival, sponsored by the Community Arts Network of Oneonta (CANO).

The Oneonta Juneteenth Festival began in 2020, but the first celebration of Freedom Day was in Texas, two years after the abolishment of slavery. On June 19, 1865, the last enslaved Africans received word of their liberation. In celebration, the newly freed Africans danced, performed music, feasted, and rejoiced in their own community.

The Oneonta Juneteenth Festival is for the entire community to attend and honors the history of the Black experience by celebrating the contributions of all Black people through music, art and gathering. Through collaboration with organizations such as the Community Foundation of Otsego County, the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club, the Oneonta-area NAACP, the Otsego Pride Alliance, and so many others, the Juneteenth Festival provides a variety of activities, food, music, and resources for free!

The weekend centers on strengthening the Black community through knowledge-sharing, offering resources for those in need, and highlighting talent. Thanks to a $5,000 award from the Community Foundation of Otsego County, the Juneteenth Festival is a public example of what spaces can look like when removing barriers to inclusion.

Since the first observation of Juneteenth in Oneonta, our community has come together to gather to work collectively to maintain the freedom of the Black community, continuing our collective fight in the face of constant adversity.

Join us at Neawha Park (Field 5) on Saturday, June 22, for a day filled with Black culture, joy, and justice, and help celebrate our community. For more information, visit us here.

Content provided by the Oneonta Juneteenth Festival.