JUNETEENTH is a celebration of freedom, but it is also a call to remember. It asks communities to look honestly at history, to honor the long struggle for justice, and to recognize the people who continue building a more welcoming and equitable future.
This year the MLK Peace and Justice Committee, in partnership with the Hazeltine Theatre, Northland Cares and the Coalition for Compassion and Justice, invites the Prescott community to take part in a Juneteenth weekend celebration rooted in reflection, art, movement and local connection.
Friday
The event begins on June 19 with a Legacy of Leadership panel discussion and dance party 4:30– 6:30pm at the Fairweather Social Club, 224 N. Cortez Street. Freewill donations will be accepted. The gathering is designed as a space for conversation, learning and celebration, bringing community members together to reflect on leadership, justice and the lived experiences that shape our community today.
For the MLK Peace and Justice Committee the event is part of a larger effort to create space in Prescott for Juneteenth and Black History Month to be recognized with intention. While Juneteenth has long been celebrated in Black communities across the country, local observances are still relatively new in Prescott. The committee’s work seeks to change that by building events that are welcoming, educational and grounded in the community.
The Legacy of Leadership event derives from the idea that local voices matter. Past gatherings have brought together civil-rights and social-justice leaders to share experiences, answer questions and offer perspectives. This year’s discussion will continue that spirit by focusing broadly on community leadership, local businesses and the challenges and opportunities faced by people working to build belonging in our city.
Following the panel a dance party will continue the evening with music, movement, and celebration. That balance is important. Juneteenth is more than a day of remembrance, it’s a day of joy. It honors survival, resilience, culture, and freedom that was delayed but never forgotten.
Later in the evening the celebration continues at the Hazeltine Theatre, 208 N. Marina St., with Mayfield Brooks’ dArK oXyGen ‘sonic dance,’ 7–9pm. Tickets are $35. The performance adds another dimension to the weekend, using sound, body and artistic expression to explore themes that connect history, identity and the human experience.
Saturday
The events continue on June 20 with the second annual 5enses Gala of Giving, 6–9pm at The Federal, 101 W. Goodwin St., second floor. This community-powered fundraiser will help support three local nonprofits: Northland Cares, the Coalition for Compassion and Justice and the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace and Justice Committee.
The evening will bring people together for live music, catered food from Moveable Feast, community, giving, and celebration. Northland Cares provides lifesaving health care, HIV services, Hepatitis C support, testing, prevention and care. CCJ helps individuals and families through housing, resources and compassion. The MLK Peace and Justice Committee promotes peace, justice, equity and community connection.
Live music will be performed by Robert Karney of Bluesy Grooves. Karney is a local musician who performs in a wide variety of venues across Arizona. His music blends blues, rock, country and original songs into high-energy performances full of good vibes.
Tickets for the Gala of Giving are $40 in advance. The event is both a celebration and an opportunity to give back, supporting organizations that work every day for health, housing, justice, dignity and belonging.
A celebration of justice
Together these events create more than a schedule. They form a community invitation. They ask Prescott to show up, listen, celebrate and support organizations working every day to make our community stronger and more inclusive.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally informed of their freedom more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The date has become a powerful reminder that freedom has never arrived equally or all at once. It also reminds us that the work of justice continues in every generation and in every community.
In Prescott, celebrating Juneteenth means making room for stories that have too often been left out. It means recognizing the contributions of Black Americans and other communities of color. It means honoring those who have pushed for civil rights, human rights and equal access to opportunity. It also means asking what kind of community we want to be now.
The MLK Peace and Justice Committee’s Juneteenth Weekend Celebration offers an answer that question through conversation, performance, music, food, fundraising and community, creating space for both reflection and action.
