Pittsburgh city government to provide support for this year's Juneteenth festivities

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Wednesday that the city will provide in-kind services to support Juneteenth celebrations hosted by Stop the Violence Pittsburgh.

Stop the Violence Pittsburgh last month unveiled plans to celebrate the holiday from June 17 through June 19, with events including a parade, a music festival and a vendor fair.

The city will provide about $60,000 worth of in-kind services to support this year’s celebration, the mayor’s office said. That includes providing the main stage and banners in Point State Park and a secondary mobile performance stage that will be used throughout the celebration. The city also will provide technical support to assist with audio on the main and mobile stages.

The Department of Public Works will provide fences and barricades. Their crews will set up the mobile performance stage.

Public Safety will provide all police services for the parade and traffic control. Pittsburgh police will provide security at the celebration itself, and the department will provide crossing guards to ensure pedestrian safety and EMS to assist with medical emergencies.

“The city of Pittsburgh is proud to celebrate this important national holiday,” Gainey said. “African American history is indeed American history and deserves to be treated as such.”

Pennsylvania officially designated June 19 as a state holiday — Juneteenth National Freedom Day — in 2019 and the city declared it an official city holiday effective in 2021. Allegheny County also made it a county holiday starting in 2021. The holiday traces its roots to June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger read the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, informing former slaves of their freedom.