Honoring Juneteenth Through Food, Joy, and Reflection

Juneteenth holds many truths at once: remembrance and celebration, grief and joy, history and hope. It is a holiday rooted in Black liberation and shaped by generations of resilience, community, and cultural tradition. And like many holidays, food is a major part of that celebration. 

This year, members of FoodCorps’ staff shared what Juneteenth means to them, from family recipes and cookout staples to reflection and moments of connection. These messages remind us that celebration itself can be an act of resistance, and that the foods we share often carry history, love, and liberation with them.

We celebrate by sharing the foods we love …

“Juneteenth is a relatively new holiday celebrated in my household. I didn’t celebrate it growing up with my parents because we didn’t know it existed. Now, I am excited, because it represents joy in the midst of turmoil, hope and pride in my culture, and the progress we have made. I am a big baker, and no Black celebration is complete without some peach cobbler for dessert. To further honor Black innovation (shoutout to Black chef Augustus Jackson, the ‘Father of Ice Cream’), I might even churn up some homemade ice cream!” 

—Ash Tyler, Digital Marketing Manager 

“Last year, my partner and I celebrated Juneteenth by taking our boys on a two-week road trip to Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Tulsa, and Little Rock, with each stop an opportunity to see key historical moments in Black American history as well as enjoy food rooted in our culture. We found a restaurant in Tulsa’s Greenwood District serving treasured favorites my grandmother made often: fried chicken, cornbread, candied yams, and potato salad (mustard based)!”

 —Jermaine Smith, Vice President of Revenue

“I see Juneteenth as a celebration of our ability to craft beauty out of pain and thrive against all odds. My family honors this pride by attending our local festival to support Black-owned vendors and coming together for a cookout. I usually prepare an iced hibiscus/sorrel tea, and this year my daughter will help me make the tea. This blend of remembrance and celebration is how we connect with our history and each other.” 

—Julia Arrington, Vice President of Leadership Development

We celebrate by finding joy in the moment …

“Juneteenth is a great reminder and celebration of the resilience, strength, and power in being Black. This year, I will celebrate by doing one of my favorite things: dancing! Our ancestors danced during celebrations, and I honor them by continuing to express myself through movement!” 

—Morgan McGhee, School Nutrition Leadership Director

“This year I’m celebrating Juneteenth with a visit from my best friend. We’ll honor the land I live on by spending time in the garden and honor our ancestors by being our authentically Black selves. And since we’re also midwesterners, there will be biscuits and gravy.” 

—Myriah Wallace, Philanthropic Operations Manager

“Whether it’s enjoying a family barbecue, shopping locally to support Black-owned businesses, witnessing the Pop Out with Ken & Friends, or reconnecting with nature, Juneteenth celebrations take on many different forms for me each year. To me, the holiday is about owning the day and shaping it into whatever you want it to be, in honor of the freedoms our ancestors didn’t get to experience. Eat good food, laugh with strangers, honor your ancestry, get cute, or cozy up under a blanket to rest—taking a moment to just be free, I think that’s the best part.” 

—Najla King, Grant Operations Manager

We celebrate by reflecting on the past … 

“Juneteenth didn’t hit my radar until well into adulthood. Even then, I didn’t grasp the full meaning of it until years after that. In my initial learning, the thought that enslaved people had a different timeline of independence from the rest of the country hit hard. To add to that knowledge the slow trickle of emancipation and release that felt strategically implemented hit hard. The phrase ‘None of us are free until all of us are free,’ most commonly attributed to 19th century American poet and activist Emma Lazarus, felt like the embodiment of Juneteenth. I can almost hear a collective cry of joy ring from my ancestors in association with the day. What better way to celebrate than with the foods that we have come to associate with family and loved ones. Potato salad (no raisins), fresh fruit salad, collard greens, of course, and catfish.” 

—Josie Seid, Director of Organizational Talent

“Growing up my mom used to always tell us about how MLK day wasn’t a holiday for her as a child and that she and her friends used to protest each year to have Dr. King’s legacy honored. It feels special to me, that within my lifetime I’ve experienced something similar that I can share with my children. To have this holiday, that was observed in my household growing up, become recognized nationally, is in itself something that I celebrate. As for how I personally enjoy the day, it’s a celebration of my sacred and delicious food culture, Black music, Black joy, and togetherness. Ultimately, it provides me with a moment to truly absorb and live into the fact that I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.” 

—Kala Cuerington-Seller, Manager of Foundation Partnerships

“Growing up in a Jamaican household, I didn’t learn about Juneteenth until later in life. However, the importance of culture, resilience, and pride are themes that run true for the holiday and in my upbringing. The opportunity to celebrate my Blackness through both my Caribbean heritage and American nationality is something I honor during Juneteenth. It is an opportunity to commune with friends and family over a diverse array of music, food, drinks, and shared stories and histories. It is a reminder that while we have so much to celebrate, we are still in the fight for continued progress and for a world that will be better and brighter for generations to come.”

—Lori-Ann “LA” Clementson, Director of Program Impact

“As a Texan, Juneteenth has always been a part of my life. I remember growing up going to barbecues, parades, community clean up days, and church events to celebrate the freedom, the strength, the resilience, the overcoming of those individuals who were informed of their freedom on June 19 in Galveston. These days Juneteenth looks like bringing together family and friends; having some of our favorite Juneteenth holiday foods: including ribs, brisket–a good Texas brisket–baked beans, macaroni and cheese, peach cobbler, poundcake; and having some good music in the background. We’re talking Frankie Beverly and Maze, Chaka Khan, Pattie LaBelle, all the classics. But most of all just celebrating where we have come from and looking forward to the future that we are building and ensuring that we never forget the sacrifices that were made from those who went before us.”

—Mickeala Carter, VP of Policy and Communications

We celebrate by having hope in the future.