5th Annual Juneteenth set for Norwood

Norwood Juneteenth Committee member and Norwood Police Department Officer Geoffrey Baguma said he didn’t really know what he was getting into five years ago when he and the committee first stepped out to make a Juneteenth event for Norwood.

But now, he said, the group is running smoothly and will have everything ready for the June 13 celebration at the Norwood Common.

“Everything’s going great, and we feel like we have a good feel for what people really like,” he said. “We want to make sure the entertainment is exciting, and we’ll have some music, some dance, and a little storytelling. Just all sorts of different artistry. And this year we’ll be having, hopefully, some folks coming to do a dramatic piece illustrating freedom.”

Baguma said they have been inviting entertainment to help showcase what freedom means to different people, and will also have booths and vendors providing snacks and art pieces throughout the day. He said they will be welcoming back Trend N Motion as well.

“We chose to go elsewhere just to give a different mix of talent, but Trend N Motion is coming back and they are very excited,” he said. “They’re a large group and always bring the right energy, crowd participation, and they create that exciting and party atmosphere.”

Baguma said the celebration is simple: Freedom. The holiday has its roots in the U.S. Civil War, where June 19th was the day the last slaves in the former Confederacy in Galveston, Texas, were informed that they were free. The holiday has been celebrated throughout the south and Black communities ever since, with many states adopting it as a holiday over the past 45 years, and was enshrined as a federal holiday in 2021.

In that spirit, the celebration also awards two people who promote diversity, freedom, education and social justice.

“Anything really reaching into the community and trying to provide community,” he said. “It could be somebody who’s very new to this type of work, like a student, or somebody who’s been doing it for a while, it doesn’t matter. But we always look to the community for assistance and the community nominates somebody for us to take a look at.”

Baguma said nominations are open until June 5, and you can send your thoughts to NorwoodJunteenth@Gmail.com

Baguma said the celebration in Norwood, specifically, is based around freedom and expressing what that means to you.

“We really just try to dive into all different sorts of freedoms, you know, like what freedom means to us could mean something completely different to other people, based on things like where they’re from, what they’ve experienced in life, and what they’re experiencing right now,” he said. “We’re talking about Juneteenth and the freedom that came to the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, but we’re also there to educate and support all sorts of freedoms, across the nation and across the world.”

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Baguma said however serious the subject matter is, it doesn’t meant they don’t have fun. And he thinks that’s reflected in the response they get from the community every year.

“It definitely make me happy and the committee happy to see the community response,” he said. “We feel when you’re genuine in what you’re trying to do – and we’re doing something for the right reasons and not there to hurt, discourage, or tear down anybody else, and presented with a consistent level of respect – we’re always going to be happy with the outcome.”

Baguma said the group is always looking for donations and volunteers. If you’re interested in helping out this June, email NorwoodJunteenth@Gmail.com

You can also find @Norwood-Juneteenth on Venmo for donations.