PITTSBURGH’S 2023 JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL BROUGHT TENS OF THOUSANDS TO POINT STATE PARK, JUNE 16-19. THE OHIO PLAYERS, LEFT, AND GOSPEL SENSATION ERICA CAMPBELL, RIGHT, WERE BIG HITS AT THE FESTIVAL. (PHOTOS BY GAIL MANKER)
The heart and soul of Pittsburgh’s Black community was on display for all to see during the four-day Juneteenth celebration in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Seriously…where else can one find the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing live, as Hip-Hop artist Frzy raps to their beat?
Where else can one find the epic performance of one Erica Campbell, the gospel superstar of “Mary Mary” fame, which had the crowd at Point State Park dancing in praise all Sunday evening?
What about the honoring of a Hip-Hop legend in Paradise Gray, or the honoring of decorated Tuskegee Airman James Harvey, as he was the grand marshal in the Western Pa. Grand Jubilee Parade?
Let’s not forget about the formidable performances on stage from Hip-Hop icon KRS-One, R&B stars Soul For Real and Sammie, and the legendary Ohio Players. And the endless Black business vendors on-site, selling everything from fish, chicken, custom-made bakeries, Caribbean food, African clothing, jewelry, books, and artistry. And the special salute to the end of violence, featuring members of the Coalition of Violence and the Bishop of the AME Church’s Third Episcopal District.
And…the grand finale, a 25-minute fireworks display that brought out the largest outdoor majority-African American congregation the Pittsburgh region has seen in recent memory.
Taylor Swift, arguably the most popular vocalist on the planet right now, might have set the all-time record for most people ever at Acrisure Stadium, with 73,117 people during her second performance this past weekend, June 17. But the “Swifties” still couldn’t overshadow the multi-layered, multi-faceted, unprecedented number of events that comprised Pittsburgh’s 2023 Juneteenth celebration. Bands were enjoyed from June 16-19 at Market Square, Downtown, which had its own set of Black business vendors. Point State Park and the area surrounding it saw its two largest crowds for Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17, and Monday, June 19. While official estimates have not been released, there’s a good possibility that the overall attendance for Juneteenth 2023 eclipsed the estimated 44,000 people from the 2022 celebration.
GOSPEL SUPERSTAR ERICA CAMPBELL WITH JUNETEENTH PITTSBURGH ORGANIZERS MARGO DOSS AND B. MARSHALL (PHOTO BY GAIL MANKER)
“I think after all we went through, it turned out to be a smashing success,” said B. Marshall, with Stop The Violence Pittsburgh, lead organizer of the Juneteenth festival. “I was very happy with the participation with the city and various local organizations, the community, and finishing off with the fireworks was phenomenal.”
RAYNA ANDERSON, MICHAYLA GRAVES, GOSPEL SUPERSTAR ERICA CAMPBELL, MELISSA GRAVES (PHOTO BY GAIL MANKER)
Marshall said as he watched the fireworks display, it was unbelievable to realize that he was watching the first time in Pittsburgh history that Juneteenth fireworks occurred. He also thanked the many sponsors that helped make Juneteenth possible—and free—for all patrons.
Tim Stevens, Chairman and CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project, found himself jamming to the sounds of the Ohio Players and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Monday, June 19, the actual day of Juneteenth. He stayed around for the fireworks.
“B. Marshall had the nerve to say, ‘we’re gonna have fireworks at Juneteenth,’ and I just love that,” Stevens told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “He’s had an amazing vision for what to do with Juneteenth and how to do it, and make it something that Black people, along with other people, look forward to every year.”
Stevens said it was “good to see” the mayor, Ed Gainey, and B. Marshall together during the festivities on Monday, June 19 and earlier in the weekend.
Stevens said that Juneteenth in Pittsburgh “has become a family-friendly event where you can literally see multi-generations of family and friends coming together at the same location, at the same time.”
NINA BINA, MONT HUTCH, TENNILLE BURNS, AT THE JUNETEENTH FIREWORKS AT POINT STATE PARK, JUNE 19. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
Stevens added that B. Marshall and his wife, Margo Doss, have a laser focus “that is required to pull something like this off. It’s not something everyone can do.”
For Derrick Tillman, president and CEO of Bridging The Gap Development, it was encouraging to see Black vendors at Juneteenth flanking both sides of the street leading to Point State Park. One couldn’t help but to feel the Black entrepreneurs on each side as one progressed to Point State Park.
NYKIA TILLMAN, OF THE GLOW COMPANY. SHE WAS A FIRST-TIME VENDOR AT JUNETEENTH. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
One of those Black entrepreneurs was his wife, Nykia Tillman. She sold copies of her book, “Hope Restored: Healing Emotional Wounds From The Past,” as well as women’s clothing through The Glow Company.
“My wife’s business focuses on inner and outer beauty,” Derrick Tillman told the Courier. “Inner beauty through her book,” and outer beauty through The Glow Company. “It’s a newer brand, so it was important for her to have access to all those people, (have them) become aware of the product that she sells, along with her online boutique” that can be supported year-round. It was Nykia Tillman’s first time as a vendor at Juneteenth.
“It was huge for her brand awareness,” Derrick Tillman said, “brand recognition, and getting her business out there.”
DR. JAMES T. JOHNSON, CENTER, RECOGNIZED ON THE JUNETEENTH STAGE FOR HIS LONGTIME CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY. HE IS CO-FOUNDER OF THE AFRO-AMERICAN MUSIC INSTITUTE, PICTURED WITH BYRON STRIPLING, LEFT, AND JOHNSON’S SON. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
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