Jerry Farmer has always celebrated Juneteenth. Every year, it’s been a day to get with family, take a time out and celebrate the freedom of Black people across the country.
But the day seldom attracted much celebration outside Black communities, and it never drew the same nationwide spectacles as other holidays.
Now, in the three years since Juneteenth officially became a national holiday, that’s started to change. And in Arlington, Farmer has been at the forefront of it.
On June 15, Levitt Pavilion Arlington will host its third annual Juneteenth Celebration in collaboration with the Arlington chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, of which Farmer is the immediate past president. He joined the national African American fraternity in 1997, and he’s been an active member since.
The pavilion opens at 4 p.m., with music starting at 5:30 p.m., kicking off a night of Black artists, food trucks and vendors.
If you go
What: Levitt Pavilion’s third Juneteenth Celebration, featuring music, food and vendors.
When: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 15
Where: 100 W. Abram St.
Price: Free, with food and drink for purchase.
The music: Artists Celestial Clockwork, who have a funk and soul sound; Reggie T. and the Boneheadz, a funk-rock-jazz fusion band; and The Sensational Barnes Brothers, a band that breathes new sounds into the gospel and soul genres.
Tips: Attendees may reserve a space on the pavilion’s lawn as early as they want by setting up a lawn chair or blanket.
Visit here for more details.
“It’s really awesome,” Farmer said about seeing Juneteenth be more widely celebrated. “We’re creating opportunities for the community to come together and share experiences, which is how we all learn.”
Juneteenth isn’t just an opportunity for the wider community to learn about Black culture, but for all cultures to learn about each other, Farmer said.
“The more we are able to connect, the more we’re able to understand and lead with empathy and also have a better understanding,” Farmer said. “We continue to evolve as people through awareness, understanding, education.”
The partnership between Levitt Pavilion and Phi Beta Sigma started when the space hosted one of Phi Beta Sigma’s fundraisers for scholarships — a main priority of the fraternity, said Letatia Teykl, Levitt Pavilion executive director. From there, the two groups found three common passions: music, culture and Arlington.
The ties grew tighter in 2023 when the Arlington chapter of Phi Beta Sigma recognized Levitt Pavilion as its “Outstanding Organization/Corporation of the Year.”
“In downtown Arlington, we have this central location that people in our community can consider a common ground,” Teykl said. “We have this beautiful space that could be for all ethnicities.”
Juneteenth remembers June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston Bay were informed of their freedom nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The night is part of the Arlington Juneteenth Jubilee, a series of Arlington events celebrating the holiday and bringing together a spectrum of vendors and organizations. Events run until June 29 and can be viewed on the city’s website.
Drew Shaw is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601. At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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