Juneteenth Celebrations Lose Sponsorship, Funding
Juneteenth Celebrations Hampered By Corporate Sponsors, Local Governments Withdrawing Funding
While far from surprising, the speed with which corporations and local governments have done a 180 from “we stand in solidarity with the Black community” to “we don’t know you negroes,” is dizzying. Juneteenth is this Thursday, and many events planned to celebrate the day across the country have faced budget shortfalls as several corporate sponsors pulled out.
AP News reports that Juneteenth events in states such as Arizona, Colorado, and West Virginia have scaled back or have been outright canceled as a result of funding being withdrawn. Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival, held annually for over a decade in the historically Black neighborhood of Five Points, was scaled back from two days to one as a result of funding drying up. The only reason the festival wasn’t outright canceled was due to donations from private donors and foundations.
“There were quite a few sponsors who pulled back their investments or let us know they couldn’t or wouldn’t be in a position to support this year,” Norman Harris, executive director of JMF Corporation, told AP.
Juneteenth marks the day when slavery finally came to an end nationwide. While long celebrated within the Black community, Juneteenth was officially made a federal holiday in 2021. At the time, the nation was still reeling from the racial uprisings that followed the murder of George Floyd at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin. Companies couldn’t wait to proclaim what they were doing to stand in solidarity with the Black community. Yet here we are, only four years later, and the vibe has completely switched up.
Crazy how corporate morals are tied directly to whatever’s politically expedient at the moment. Who would’ve known?
Two Juneteenth events in Nashville have faced similar budget shortfalls. Julius Jackson, co-founder of the annual Music City Freedom Fest held in Hadley Park, told AP this has been the most financially difficult year for the festival. DEI concerns have been one of the most common reasons he’s received from sponsors pulling out.
“I’ve actually been hearing that from a couple of the companies,” Jackson told the Nashville Banner. “I won’t say who they are, but I actually have heard that their budget was decreased and almost taken completely away with those types of things.”
Jennifer Smith, a planner for the Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival, also cited DEI concerns for why the event went from dozens of sponsors to only five this year. “They have said their budgets have been cut because of DEI,” and the money simply isn’t there anymore, Smith said of the sponsors who have withdrawn.
In addition to corporate sponsors pulling back, several Juneteenth events have been canceled as a result of state governments pulling back funding or outright closing their DEI offices. In Arizona, the Scottsdale City Council shuttered its decades-old DEI office earlier this year, and as a result, the city’s annual Juneteenth celebration was canceled.
West Virginia placed the blame on budget woes, and not the bill Governor Patrick Morrisey signed last month, eliminating DEI from state government, as to why the state won’t officially celebrate the holiday this year. “Due to the continued fiscal challenges facing West Virginia, state government will not be sponsoring any formal activities,” deputy press secretary Drew Galang told AP in an email.
Pride events this month have faced similar setbacks, with several high-profile events having to scale down their celebrations due to corporate sponsors withdrawing due to, you guessed it, DEI concerns.
Yet despite these setbacks, many Pride and Juneteenth events have continued. The Juneteenth Music Festival was held in Denver last weekend, and the 13th annual Juneteenth Atlanta Parade and Music Festival continued as planned. While Scottsdale was busy being Scottsdale, several other cities across Arizona all held Juneteenth events over the last weekend.
Corporations were never going to be anything more than fairweather allies. The good news is that Black folks will always find a way to make something out of nothing. As long as we continue showing up for ourselves and each other, we’ll keep pushing through the nonsense.
SEE ALSO:
How To Celebrate Juneteenth While Civil Rights Are Under Threat
