KC’s Juneteenth festival continues ‘celebrating our freedom, our heritage, our culture’
Kansas City’s Juneteenth celebrations continued Saturday in the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District despite concern after a fatal shooting that occurred nearby the night before.
Vendors participating in JuneteethKC’s 15th annual Heritage Festival lined 18th Street to celebrate freedom, culture and creativity.
Kansas City’s annual event has grown into one of the region’s largest Juneteenth celebrations. The event will culminate Saturday with a performance by Common, whose career has been defined by socially conscious lyrics, storytelling and advocacy.
The heritage festival took place the day after a shooting at nearby 19th and Vine streets killed one person and injured five others. Residents who live in the area previously called on the city to have a stronger police presence before and during the event.
‘People are still coming’
Kim Davis, the president and CEO of the Heartland Black Chamber, was at the organization’s booth at 18th Street and Paseo on Saturday for the Juneteenth festival.
“Celebratory wise, people are still here, people are still coming.”
“What we need to learn is there is going to always be a few bad apples,” she said. “We can’t control the few bad apples and what we don’t want to happen is an incident with some bad people reflect on the whole of the people.”
Davis also called for more policing in the district, arguing the city should have been better prepared for the bad apples Friday night.
She said the shooting points to the need for more security and gun control.
“There’s far too many children running around with guns in backpacks,” Davis said.
“This happened after the festival shut down, so the people that were involved in this were not part of the festival,” Davis said.
Standing under her booth on Vine Street Saturday, sandwiched between two other retail vendors, was Iyshia Smith, owner of Amiracle Body Butters & More.
Smith said that despite the shooting, business has been steady Saturday morning. “Getting up this morning, (I was) just in a positive mindset that today will be a great day.”
Smith, who sells organic hair oil, lip balms, eczema creams and other products, prides herself on using all-natural ingredients and maintaining affordable prices.
Her booth sits just around the corner from where the fatal shooting happened the night before. She had packed up and was gone before it happened, she said.
“We’re still out celebrating our freedom, our heritage, our culture,” Smith said. “I want this to stay the focus while we’re down here and not let that deter us from coming out and being one.”
“And holding each other accountable too,” she said.
Celebrating Black culture, art
Diagonal from Smith’s booth, another vendor set up loudspeakers playing R&B music. People walked up and down Vine Street, talking to people about their unique small businesses.
A family with young children stopped at a food truck selling Italian Ice, where a young girl asked for strawberry flavor.
People sold art and other handmade products, nonprofits talked about their causes, and community organizations showed up to the festival in droves.
The energy at the heritage festival remained high despite the grim circumstances of an overnight homicide investigation the night before.
People danced as musicians performed in the park, and crafty designers showed off their work. Artists pained on canvasses and customer’s hands, and a plant shop owner watered plants.
Well into the afternoon, streets stayed bustling as more people showed up to check out everything the festival had to offer.
