Classic Celebration, New Appeal
Standing on the shoulders of his family, Park Hill’s Norman Harris is reinventing Denver’s Juneteenth celebration
By Erin Vanderberg, Editor
Last year, Park Hill’s Norman T. Harris and his team orchestrated the first Juneteenth Music Festival event in the Five Points neighborhood. For Norman, who grew up in Park Hill, and whose family has served as a pillar of the Five Points community, his picking up of the Juneteenth torch from previous organizers like Wellington Webb, Brother Jeff, Leslie Juniel and his father and grandfather was due largely to the inspiration of their positive leadership.
Harris’ goal is to infuse the celebration with new life and to make it relevant to a new generation. While the goal is not necessarily to make Denver’s celebration the largest in the nation, as it once was, it is certainly not out of the question. Last year’s festival was Denver’s largest in decades, and this year’s expected turnout is 60,000.
“Norman’s long-term vision of the next generation of Juneteenth is one that operates as a highly efficient and effective organization,” said Rebel Saffold, Director of Operations for the Juneteenth Music Festival. “This is not just some festival. He is building a foundation to support the growth of this event so that everyone is benefitting from their involvement.”
The Family Connection
To understand Norman’s community-mindedness, one needs look no further than his grandfather, Norman Harris, Sr., for which the Juneteenth event’s Five Points Legacy Award is named for.
“My grandfather is the rock of this neighborhood. He’s served as a role model. Never have I seen him miss a day of work, or complain about challenges… I draw so much inspiration from him. He’s the foundation of my existence and my role here,” said Norman.
Along with Norman’s father, Norman Harris, Jr., and Norman’s aunt, Wise Harris, Harris, Sr., owns a corner property on 26th and Welton, the Wise Harris Arms Apartment Building. He’s been a property owner in the Five Points neighborhood for over 40 years.
At 94, he still wakes up every morning to sweep his sidewalk and walk a mile and half. During the MLK Marade this past January, where Norman was promoting the Juneteenth event, people kept coming up to tell him that they had just seen his spry grandfather walking by – Harris, Sr., walked the whole parade and without a cane.
“[My family members] are the most supportive people, they are the reason I’m pushing hard,” said Norman, who eventually wants to take over the family business and be an active part of the redevelopment of Five Points.
Putting the Past Behind
Juneteenth has been celebrated in Denver since the late-1950s, and became the nation’s largest Juneteenth celebration for a short time in the early-1980s. In those days, Norman’s father was working on the planning committee. The event was a five-day carnival, facilitated by area property and business owners, which stretched the whole Welton corridor. But in 1986, gang violence erupted at the celebration.
“The city’s challenges with gangs and drugs came to a head and manifested during that festival,” said Norman. “Those shootings tainted the celebration, the neighborhood, probably the whole city – you can’t compartmentalize. But Juneteenth was the faceplate; the events cast a negative shadow on Juneteenth.”
While organizing Juneteenth last year, Norman and his team worked with many in the community, including people and businesses that live in the neighborhood, police, City Council, the mayor, registered neighborhood organizations, and the Gang Rescue and Support Project (GRASP). Norman had a two-part message for event stakeholders:
“We brought in everyone to facilitate communication, to assure that everyone is included and knows the plans; but to also communicate the message that this is a celebration, a time to rejoice, be with family, to heal and get over problems plaguing the community,” said Norman. “There is always the threat of something happening, but we’re keeping our side of the street clean.”
Norman says that last year’s event had zero safety events.
“It’s a goal that we keep our energy positive, our spirits high, and that we set the tone that this a new movement, that we’re beyond the things that plagued us in the past.”
What to Expect this Year
This year’s event will include a parade, a Youth Engagement Zone, a Miss Juneteenth pageant, an art walk, a car show and, of course, music, with headliner Lakeside. In addition to these events, this year the festival will host an even larger group of retail and food vendors than the year prior.
According to Norman, the organizers have pushed to diversify and be representative of the Denver community’s demographics by working with a variety of community organizations, including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Black Chamber of Commerce.
“We are learning how to build a platform for Juneteenth to be a conduit for people to connect to resources and resources to connect to people,” said Norman.
Building on Success
“Last year was truly amazing,” Norman said of the 2012 Juneteenth Music Festival. He had pulled an all-nighter the evening before the event. They were short on money, so his committee, even his mom, were cleaning and preparing the streets. After the day went off successfully, he was sitting with a group that included his grandfather and members of the Ohio Players. As they were talking, his grandfather shed a tear.
“He said that he couldn’t believe that we got it done,” said Norman. “To see someone who has seen the heights and the pitfalls thank us – it was worth everything we did.”
Visit juneteenthmusicfestival.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long overdue.
In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society.
Source: juneteenth.com