Tempe Juneteenth celebration combines art activism with reflections on social justice, racial equality

TEMPE – Downtown Tempe came alive with vibrant cultural celebrations as the city hosted its annual Juneteenth Block Party Saturday.

Organized by Downtown Tempe Authority, the theme for this year’s block party was Freedom of Expression. It combined history and education with immersive artistic experiences to showcase how art and activism come together to reflect on social justice and racial equality.

Event manager Tamar Burch, who recently moved to Tempe from Las Vegas, organized The Doorways art installation and worked on the block party alongside three other event managers to engage the community and support local businesses.

“Our role as event managers is to put on events that activate downtown Tempe,” Burch said. “We partner with the city to bring the community in and help the businesses down here.”

Central to the celebration was The Doorways, an interactive art experience featuring three thematic doors with poems written by Burch representing the past, present and future of Juneteenth.

“I really wanted to capture what Juneteenth means in a way where it’s interactive, so for the people that come it’s not passive. I want this to be an experience that when people walk in, they’re participating,” she said.

The first door – rugged and wooden –displayed a poem and the Emancipation Proclamation in faded writing, highlighting the struggles endured by Black ancestors. The second door represented the present by featuring the city of Tempe’s outline, where attendees could reflect and write what Juneteenth means to them.

The future door focused on what the next generation holds, with a silhouette of a Black woman with an Afro, and included audio storytelling whereby visitors could share their Juneteenth experiences orally; the stories will be digitized and used in future installations, according to Downtown Tempe Authority.

“I want to see other people’s reaction to it. That will fill my heart, just to see people ponder and what they take from that. That’s what inspired me to do this,” Burch said.

Among the many artists featured was Shoreigh Williams, a Phoenix native and owner of Pleading Insanity art and tattoo studio. Williams collaborated with Burch on The Doorways.

“Collaborating with Tamar was amazing. I had a vision of her vision and she loved it,” she said.

Williams emphasized the importance of art making an impact.

“I hope what people get out of my artwork is self-reflection because it really does start with yourself, and if you can help yourself, you can help your family, friends, community and so on,” she said.

“I see myself as an art activist; art is a form of fighting oppression.”

One of the artistic attractions was the Ars Poetica table, where poets Sahina Jerome and Chanté Summers used typewriters to craft personalized haiku poems for attendees. Each haiku was based on an individual’s personal story, creating a unique and intimate experience for participants.

In addition to the personalized poetry, the event featured a spoken-word performance by Urban Poet, hip-hop dance battles from the Furious Styles Crew, a pop-up roller skating rink provided by the Zoni Girls and a barber battle, all of which highlighted the rich cultural contributions of the Black community.

The Tempe Public Library distributed a selection of books by Black authors to children.

“We wanted to touch everybody from the little ones to our seasoned attendees,” Burch said.

“I want it to be an event that puts an exclamation mark on people’s lives, and it spurs them to do something, not just to sit, but to participate in society by making a mark.”