What is the Downtown Akron Juneteenth Celebration and where did it come from?
You’re invited!
We invite you to join us for the 2025 Downtown Akron Juneteenth Celebration in Lock 3 on Sunday, June 1, from noon to 6 pm.
➡️ Who is behind the celebration?
The Downtown Akron Juneteenth Celebration is presented by Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) and led by a planning committee made up of members of the Black community, including co-chairs Ebony Hill and Will Blake, along with Reva Goldman, Jada Moore and numerous other volunteers.
Want to join the committee? Contact DAP at
aW5mbyB8IGRvd250b3duYWtyb24gISBjb20=, we'd love to include you!
➡️ What is DAP, and what do they do?
DAP is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build and promote a vibrant and valuable downtown that is open to all people. We fulfill part of that mission by helping to facilitate cultural events, such as Juneteenth, the Downtown Akron Lunar New Year Celebration, and the Sakura Festival in downtown, to invite all members of the community to enjoy their downtown.
➡️ What is the theme of this year’s celebration?
The 2025 theme of the downtown celebration is Revisiting Our History: Reclaiming Our Community; it was chosen by the planning committee and is supported by DAP.
Ebony Hill, co-chair of the Juneteenth planning committee, says “Our theme, ‘Revisiting Our History: Reclaiming Our Community,’ is both a remembrance and a charge. Juneteenth calls us to honor the struggles of our past, embrace our collective responsibility and actively shape a future rooted in unity, healing and Black excellence. By reclaiming our community, we restore pride, deepen connection and affirm our power to build what comes next.”
➡️ Celebration artwork and representation.
In creating this year’s celebration, the planning committee worked with a talented and accomplished local African American artist, Maliyah Clark, who created an illustration that “aims to highlight the vast cultural impact that black people have had in America. The tree represents the roots that Black people have established. This tree also represents how Black culture has grown and changed over time.”
➡️ What else to expect of the Downtown Akron Juneteenth Celebration.
The 2025 Downtown Celebration will feature small-group workshops and demonstrations led by individuals from throughout the community, and exhibiting the 7 principles of Kwanzaa:
1. Umoja (Unity)
2. Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
3. Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
4. Umjamaa (Cooperative Economics)
5. Nia (Purpose)
6. Kuumba (Creativity)
7. Imani (Faith)
Black-owned businesses, including food trucks and vendors and retail vendors will also be at the celebration, including The Plannerz Place Eatery, Brooks Homestyle BBQ, Southern Comfort Kitchen, Lady J’s Accessories, WeMustBeMagic, and BlackStar, among many others.
Other event highlights will include spoken word, storytelling and African dance performances; educationally focused crafts and live musical acts on the Maynard Performance Pavilion stage to fortify a joyful atmosphere.
Follow the event on downtownakron.com for updated information about vendors, performances, demonstrations and more.
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The 2025 Downtown Akron Juneteenth Celebration is presented by DAP and planned by the Downtown Akron Juneteenth Planning Committee, Ebony Hill and Will Blake, co-chairs.
The celebration is supported by the City of Akron, Lock 3 and the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office. Additional support is provided by Knight Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, Akron Community Foundation, Akron Civic Commons and GAR Foundation.
Poster illustration by Maliyah Clark from Black Star.
Also check out other Business events in Akron, Workshops in Akron, Arts events in Akron.
