A Celebration of Us: The History of Juneteenth in Buffalo

 

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” asked abolitionist Frederick Douglass in his historic 1852 speech. “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?”

 

More than a century later, that question still resonated deeply within Black communities.

 

In 1975, many African Americans questioned whether the promises of freedom and equality truly included them, and hope was fading. The murders of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were less than a decade old, and multi-city protests and riots had ended only a few years earlier. Even as the nation prepared to celebrate 200 years of “freedom,” Black communities were still dealing with institutional racism, crime, violence, housing discrimination, segregated and underfunded public schools, aggressive policing, and urban disinvestment.

 

“All this crime and violence is the result of the breakdown of family,” said Roosevelt Wardlaw in 1997, looking back at the time. “You can trace (family breakdown) to the breakdown of the economy. These CEOs keep making more money, while more people are (stuck) making $7 an hour.”

 

In Buffalo, members of the community action organization B.U.I.L.D. — “Build Unity, Independence, Liberty, and Dignity” — decided to create a celebration centered on Black history, culture, resilience, and freedom.

 

“Every time you turned the television on, you saw something about the bicentennial celebration,” recalled William L. Gaiter, then executive director of B.U.I.L.D. “As an African American, I personally felt left out.”

 

After hearing about the jubilee in Galveston, Texas, Gaiter and B.U.I.L.D. moved quickly to gather community leaders including Wardlaw, Claudia M. Sims, Eugene L. Pierce, Judson Price, Douglas R. Ruffin Sr., Enid Wright, Gail Wells, and many others. The new coalition of block clubs, businesses, artists, educators, historians, clergy, and activists organized Buffalo’s first Juneteenth celebration. Their goal was larger than a festival — it was about creating a movement rooted in pride, unity, and cultural identity. Their efforts made Buffalo one of the first northern cities to establish a Juneteenth Festival.

 

For Wells and other committee members, Juneteenth provides a window into history that’s necessary for moving forward.

 

“You can’t create a future if you don’t know what they had in the past,” Wells said. “Our strength is standing on the shoulders of our ancestors. You cannot forget who paved the way. You cannot forget.”

 

Pierce was 40 when he served on the organizing committee.

 

“It was a time of times. … the committee (was) trying to get the Juneteenth Festival organized in a way so that it would continue and that it would always be current,” said Pierce. “It was an effort to stabilize the Black community, because there was a lot of tension at that time. We tried to address the problems within our community with hopefulness. We tried to get people to realize that despite (society’s obstacles), they were still somebody.”

 

On June 26, 1976, despite a week’s delay caused by rain, Buffalo’s first Juneteenth kicked off as planned. The joy was undeniable. The now-beloved parade got the party started. Marching bands, drill teams, floats, drum & bugle corps showed up and showed out before cheering crowds on Jefferson Avenue, running from East Delavan Avenue down to the War Memorial Stadium.

 

Along the parade route, block after block were filled by throngs of people and attractions. New, painted murals decorated vacant storefronts. Thousands lined the streets while vendors, artists, musicians, and poets transformed the neighborhood into a vibrant expression of Black culture and creativity.  

 

At the stadium, athletic events, sports camps, and many other activities took place. The festivities ended with a gospel concert, led by musician and organizer Earl Roberson of the Buffalo Interdenominational Gospel Workshop.

 

An estimated 75,000 people attended the first festival.

 

“The first year we had the festival, I had a group called Crusaders Marching Unit from Clinton Junior High School,” said Marcus O. Brown, longtime festival organizer and former president. “Judson Price, who was one of the founders, also was a guidance counselor at the school that I worked at. So, he invited my group to participate in the parade.”

 

For Brown, that first experience led to a lifetime of service, including as a two-time president of Juneteenth.

 

“A lot of people don't understand all the work and effort that went into making it this far,” Brown said. “We got there through help, through work, through sweat, through tears. We met in basements, we met in parking lots, we met anywhere we possibly could to put on this festival.”

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Juneteenth was a factor in erasing the society-generated “shame that we don’t meet other cultures’ expectations,” said Luther Burnette, who served as president from 1988 to 1993.  He noted that the whitewashing of Black history had created a false narrative that continues to be challenged today.

 

“No more images of smiling, happy ‘darkies,’” Burnette said. “Slavery was brutal and we resisted. We fought hard for our freedom, and we reject the simplistic explanation that ‘Lincoln freed the enslaved.’”

 

Festival cofounder Judson Price believes Juneteenth represented more than a single celebration — it represented community ownership, Black pride, and cultural continuity. He enjoyed building something vital that would persevere for generations.

 

“We continued to work and meet everywhere (we could),” Price said. “We just kept doing it and we felt good about it.”

 

That “can-do, will-do” spirit helped Buffalo’s Juneteenth evolve into one of the largest celebrations in the nation. In 1985, the festival became its own independent organization. Leaders such as Claudia M. Sims, Burnette, Brown, Jennifer Earle Strickland Jones, and current president Carrone Evon Crump helped carry the vision forward through decades of change and challenge.

 

Behind the scenes, dedicated volunteers helped sustain the festival year after year. Catherine Eberhart, Taliba Asante, and Ziyadah Uqdah together represent nearly 100 years of volunteer service to Buffalo Juneteenth through leadership in concessions, community engagement, operations, and financial stewardship. Their commitment reflects the spirit that has kept Juneteenth alive for generations — ordinary people doing extraordinary work for their community. The dedication of the board members and volunteers is why the festival endured despite political changes, economic struggles, and even the COVID-19 pandemic when the festival went online.

 

In 2022, after the tragic massacre on Buffalo’s East Side, organizers debated whether the festival should continue that year with the kick-off one month away. 

 

“You know what? I just wanted to say, ‘Hell, no,’ Brown recalled. “Because we're concerned. There's always a concern about the safety of our people.”

 

But after reflection, organizers decided the community needed Juneteenth more than ever.

 

“We thought about King, we thought about Malcolm X, we thought about all the leaders that we had before us and the struggles that they made to get us where we are now,” Brown said. “And they died for it. Who are we to turn around and reject that?”

 

That year, Juneteenth became not only a celebration, but also a place of healing, support, and unity for Buffalo’s East Side community.

 

“And then, when we had the event, and we saw the jubilation on our community’s face, we knew that we’d made the right decision,” Brown said.

 

Today, Buffalo Juneteenth welcomes thousands annually and stands as a symbol of resilience, self-determination, and cultural pride. Many who attended as children now serve as volunteers and board members, continuing the legacy which started nearly 50 years ago.

 

Darryl Gaiter, son of William Gaiter, the original festival chairman, is happy to see how far the festival has come in Buffalo.

 

“My father … would be happy to see what’s going on,” he said. “And I’m sure he’s looking at us. It wasn’t easy, but it was done.”

 

Crump, the festival’s current president, has carried the torch of leadership since 2025. Yet, like many others, she has been there for decades, working alongside extraordinary people, often without public recognition.

 

At a moving news conference held at Juneteenth headquarters in preparation for Buffalo’s historic 50th Anniversary celebration, Crump reflected on the legacy of the festival and the generations of volunteers who helped sustain it.

 

“The legacy of Juneteenth in Buffalo was started by a group of visionary Black elders — some of whom are still with us today — from our community,” Crump said. “They made a bold declaration: ‘Our freedom deserves to be celebrated.’ From that moment, Juneteenth was born.”

 

By Melvin Bankhead III

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