DETROIT – The Juneteenth celebration kicks off with a stroll in Detroit along the Avenue of Fashion on Livernois, taking you through 46 Black-owned businesses offering discounts.
BAM Studio sits along the Avenue of Fashion and has been open for the past seven years.
“We do fitness classes here. We do yoga classes, dance classes and more and we also do banquet hall space so event spaces. Anything you want,” said Dorothy Ware with BAM Studio.
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Taking a stroll down the street, Local 4 stopped by another business, Wayne McGibbon Clothier.
“A lot of folks are looking for a hat store. They’re excited about me being here and I’m excited as well to be here for them,” said owner Wayne McGibbon.
The two businesses are part of the Juneteenth Jubilee Stroll happening Saturday. Dozens of Black-owned businesses are opening their doors to provide not only great sales, but an education about the day with music and artistry.
“Some of the stores will have a poet and they’ll have readings about Juneteenth. Some of the stores there may be a clarinet, a young person playing an instrument,” said Ronald Copeland with the Motor City Business Roundtable.
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Copeland helped organize the event. The idea of supporting Black-owned businesses on Saturday comes from the history of Juneteenth.
“Juneteenth is the celebration, the acknowledgement of the people of Galveston, Texas,” said Yolanda Jack with the Charles H. Wright Museum. “After Juneteenth in Texas, and after every enslaved person found freedom, they needed to find a way to support themselves. Some of them became entrepreneurs, and that spirit, that entrepreneurial spirit, that tenacity, that grit did not die and survived even in 2021.”
“We are making progress to let the American people in the United States realize that African-Americans are important. Black lives matter. Black businesses matter,” Copeland said.
Click here for more information on the Juneteenth Jubilee Stroll.