Organizers behind Juneteenth celebration in DeKalb declare event success in wake of Willowbrook mass shooting

DeKALB – DeKalb resident Karen Wilkerson said she refused to let what transpired in Willowbrook prevent her from enjoying her time at the third annual Juneteenth celebration at Hopkins Park in DeKalb Sunday.

Wilkerson was perusing a food truck’s menu with her son, looking for something good to eat. She said her favorite part of the event was seeing everybody in the community.

“You see people of different shades, different backgrounds, different groups,” Wilkerson said. “They’re having a good time. We’re communing with each other, and we are supporting each other, and we’re celebrating each other.”

Authorities said a mass shooting in Willowbrook left 23 wounded and one dead about 12:30 a.m. Sunday during a gathering in a parking lot to celebrate Juneteenth. Officials have said numerous victims were taken from the scene for hospital treatment and that others walked in to area hospitals seeking aid, The Associated Press reported.

“In today’s society, you can be crossing the street,” Wilkerson said. “I’m not going to live in fear. I have a God. If he wants me, I only go where he takes me. It’s disappointing to hear that, see that. All the stuff that’s happened this past weekend has been tragic. That’s why celebrations like this are important.”

I’m not going to live in fear. I have a God. If he wants me, I only go where he takes me. It’s disappointing to hear that, see that. All the stuff that’s happened this past weekend has been tragic. That’s why celebrations like this are important.”

—  Karen Wilkerson, DeKalb resident

Organizers behind the Juneteenth Community Celebration say the event can be viewed as a success.

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Senior Pastor Rev. Joe Mitchell said no extra safety measures were imposed for the Juneteenth celebration held at Hopkins Park in DeKalb because of what transpired in Willowbrook.

“We weren’t going that late. … I don’t know too many Juneteenth celebrations that go until 12:30 in the morning,” Mitchell said.. We didn’t have any concerns. Our event has always been extremely peaceful, extremely welcoming and loving. No, we did not take any additional safety precautions.”

Both Juneteenth events sought to recognize the federal holiday commencing June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed, which came two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Law enforcement officials have not pinpointed a motive for the shooting in the Chicago suburb of Willowbrook, nor arrested anyone by early afternoon Sunday, according to the AP.

Mitchell said the church’s end goal with the DeKalb event was simple.

“At the end of the day, it’s really an opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate freedom and liberation for those who may not know and for them to have an opportunity to learn about it and then be in community with people that do and don’t look like them, and really learn in the words of Dr. [Martin Luther] King to be the beloved community and honor all the rich history that makes up the United States of America,” Mitchell said.

Rochelle resident Andrea Kromwell was stationed at a table selling jewelry and accessories in the vendor fair. She said this made for her first time participating in the Juneteenth celebration.

“I like it,” Kromwell said. “I told my husband, it feels like a family reunion.”

Kromwell said customers had been responding well to what she had to offer.

“They like it,” Kromwell said. “They like all the colors. They like that it’s handmade. We made a lot of jewelry, a lot of the bracelets and this keychain. My husband, he like designs them. I paint them.”

DeKalb resident Bonnie Deagon stood in line with Jackie Rogers, also of DeKalb, waiting to grab a bite to eat from a food truck. She said she enjoys coming out to the Juneteenth event, so much that it’s become a tradition. Deagon said that as a white woman, she’s long felt that racism is a moral issue.

“It’s opened my eyes to struggles that other people have because of the color of their skin,” Deagon said. “I knew that there were struggles, but it’s really opened my eyes.”

Rogers said she felt compelled to drop in for the event because her daughter identifies as mixed race.

“I make sure as she’s growing, I make sure to teach her things,” Rogers said. “I remind her that she’s magical.”

Deagon shared that sentiment.

“We celebrate both sides of their world – white and black,” Deagon said.

Mitchell said it looked like the event drew in larger crowds this time around. He attributed the growth of the celebration to a few different factors.

“Juneteenth now is a federal holiday,” Mitchell said. “A lot of people now have [Monday] off. If you don’t know, it’s an opportunity to come out and learn what it’s about. I also think a majority of people really do want to learn more about America’s rich history, which is a very inclusive history. This is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of American history.”