About 300 people gathered Thursday in Buckley Park to participate in Durango’s annual Juneteenth celebration, hosted by the Southwest Center for Black Lives.
“Today, I want to celebrate freedom in African American history and remember that Juneteenth is American history,” event organizer Tracy Jones said during her opening address. “Juneteenth is for all of us to celebrate. This is the story of our country.”
The crowd took her message to heart. At one point, about 30 people danced and stomped in the grass as Etienne Tolno played his drum into a crescendo of frenzied, rhythmic sound.
Dressed in flowing garments made from a patchwork of mismatched patterns and vibrant colors, the West African drummer performed with unbridled energy. Midway through his set, he leaped off the stage, transferring his movement to the audience.
Dzeria Gold, a soul singer from Denver, followed Tolno’s performance. As she belted out soul songs, a few couples stood up to dance, swaying in each other’s arms.
But the celebratory atmosphere was undercut by the sense that this year, celebrating a holiday long-ignored outside of Black communities, was more important than ever.
Across the country, Juneteenth events were canceled after sponsors pulled support out of fear they would appear to oppose President Donald Trump’s directive to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, Jones said.
Durango’s record-breaking turnout, two to three times larger than last year’s, Jones estimated, was a surprise, she said.
She attributed the crowd to momentum from last week’s “No Kings” rally and growing resistance to policies that some say directly target marginalized communities.
“It’s more important than ever before,” said Laurel Waters, a local educator attending for the first time.
It was a sentiment echoed by many others who showed up for their first Juneteenth.
The federally designated holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
It celebrates Black freedom, but also serves as a reminder that equality cannot be achieved by a single signature or declaration, said mountaineer Phillip Henderson, a speaker at the event and leader of the first all-Black expedition to summit Mount Everest.
“To me, that freedom that came in 1865 is not true. It's not real – not yet. But we all have to fight for that. We have to fight,” Henderson said.
For the first time in the event’s six-year history, organizers factored security into their planning. The white fences surrounding the park were a new addition, said Annalise Lasater, an organizer with the Southwest Center for Black Lives.
Before she and Jones began decorating the fence with large Black Lives Matter flags, they notified the Durango Police Department – just in case.
But the event went off without a hitch.
People lounged on picnic blankets and camp chairs, browsing vendor tents selling books, jewelry and brightly colored clothes. Conversations were loud and boisterous. A line for plantains, jollof rice and samosas, catered by Chef Safari, began forming as soon as the gates opened at 5 p.m.
The Southwest Center for Black Lives was joined by several local organizations. Representatives from the Four Corners Center for Diversity and the Sexual Assault Services Organization were among those set up in booths.
The event, which started as a gathering of fewer than 100 people in Rotary Park, has expanded each year, and Jones hopes the pattern continues.
Durango has a largely homogeneous population. Jones said the display of community and allyship at Buckley Park helps the local Black community feel integrated and welcomed.
“I'd like to see what I see today every year, and to grow every year, just like Fourth of July,” she said. “This is just as important.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
