Juneteenth is a national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States in 1865. In Tulsa, the significant date has long been celebrated with a multi-day festival led by the Black community.
According to Tulsa Juneteenth, our local festival remains the largest Juneteenth celebration in the nation with 50,000 gathering in the heart of Historic Black Wall Street over three days.
Attendees can enjoy food trucks, live music, educational programming, a 5K and 1-mile walk/run and other wellness activities, a kids' zone, and much more. A Black Wall Street Pitch competition will give African American business owners the chance to win up to $10,000 to fund a business idea. A full event schedule can be found here.
We recently chatted with Lauren Corbitt, Executive Director of Tulsa Juneteenth, who is leading the organization and festival since the sudden death of her mother, Sherry Gamble Smith, shortly after Tulsa Juneteenth 2022.
DTP: You’ve been involved with Tulsa Juneteenth for some time. What is your earliest Juneteenth memory, in Tulsa or otherwise?
LC: My earliest memory of Juneteenth is as a young girl hanging with friends on Greenwood Avenue enjoying a communal space of Black culture.
As Executive Director of Tulsa Juneteenth, you continue your mother’s legacy. What is this new role like for you?
The new role has been overwhelming, but it aligns very well with my experience and I enjoy it. Continuing my mother's legacy brings joy to me in ways that have helped me heal through my grief.
Is there anything new we can expect at Tulsa Juneteenth 2023, and/or is there anything you are particularly excited about?
I am very excited about our Black Wall Street Pitch Competition. It's a newly added component of our Tech & Entrepreneurship track, happening on Thursday, June 15, at the Greenwood Cultural Center.