TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The Tampa Police Department's Black History Committee hosted its 3rd annual Juneteenth Summer Block Party at the Fair Oaks Recreation Center, bringing East Tampa together to celebrate a holiday that has grown into a well-known American symbol of freedom.
Juneteenth marks the day the last enslaved Americans learned of their freedom, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
Pastor Philetha Tucker-Johnson, president of the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition, said the meaning of the day is straightforward.
"I think that Juneteenth is a celebration of truth and freedom," Dr. Tucker-Johnson said.
Dr. Tucker-Johnson said her organization works year-round with a clear mission.
"Our goal is to empower, cultivate youth, get our youth empowered and inspired in order to continuously live the legacy that was set before us," she said.
The coalition's work is rooted in the belief that history is not just something to be remembered; it is something to be lived. Dr. Tucker-Johnson said that for many in the community, Juneteenth is a reminder of how much there is still to learn and pass on.
161 years after Juneteenth, Dr. Tucker-Johnson said the day is about legacy and the responsibility adults carry toward the next generation.
"When a child is wanting something positive, it's our responsibility to do everything necessary to give them that, so that they can move forward and give that, give it to the next generation," Tucker-Johnson said.
That responsibility, she said, does not belong to any one organization. It belongs to the entire community. The Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition holds events throughout the year, working to ensure young people have access to positive environments, mentorship, and connections to their history.
That legacy was on full display at the event through Michaela Grace, 15, who serves as a legacy queen with the Tampa Bay Juneteenth Coalition. Grace said the crown she wears represents something much larger than herself.
"It's not just a crown to me, it's more about attaining all the knowledge I can to tell everyone that I know, and just to be able to be a figure in the youth, where a generation who doesn't really know much of their history, and to be set apart and to know who I am, where I come from, and how I can empower the youth of my future," Michaela Grace said.
The teen said her work is not for personal recognition.
"I'm not just doing this for myself, I'm doing this for the people ahead of me, for the people behind me, whoever it may be to come," she said.
Michaela Grace is the kind of young person the coalition says it exists to develop; one who understands that legacy is not inherited, it is built, and that building it requires showing up every day, not just on June 19.
The Juneteenth block party also marked the first major event at the newly opened Fair Oaks Recreation Center. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the park has been a long time coming for East Tampa.
"Fair Oaks is such a wonderful park, and it took the community and collaboration with the city to bring it to fruition, and it was a campaign promise of mine," Castor said.
Castor said the park and the celebration are meant for everyone.
"As I was just driving up to hear the young kids on the playground, you know, laughing and squealing, and it's just, it's for the entire city, and it's for all generations, you know, the young, the more seasoned like myself, and to have Juneteenth celebration here for the entire community is beyond exciting, that's for sure," Castor said.
Police Chief Lee Bercaw echoed that sentiment, saying the event represents community policing at its best.
"This is huge for us to be in the heart of East Tampa. This is the first major event here at this park, and what a better way to work with the vendors in the community to be out here. This is community policing at its finest," Bercaw said.
Castor said Tampa's strength comes from the trust between its residents and its police department.
"Tampa is one of the safest cities its size in the nation. It's because we have a great community that trusts the police department, and that's how we reduce crime and improve the quality of life," Castor said.
She said the department's focus extends well beyond crime reduction.
"One of the wonderful things about the police department is they just don't focus on the reduction of crime, they focus just a laser focus on providing mentorship activities, constructive activities for our youth, so they never ever are faced with that choice of taking the right or wrong path. They have the direction that they need and the community support to reach their potential," Castor said.
Bercaw said the department has also been working to provide young people with structured alternatives in response to teen takeovers, a trend that has drawn national attention this summer. He said the community has stepped up to help.
"We did our first [event], and we asked the community to step up and help us out. And then you saw last weekend with Safe and Sound, they did exactly that. We had two 17-year-old parks and rec teens that spearheaded that, so that was amazing. We started that process, and now the community is taking it over and making it a huge success," Bercaw said.
Bercaw said the effort reflects a simple truth about public safety in a city of Tampa's size.
"Police can't do it all ourselves. There's just over 1,000 police officers, there's over 400,000 citizens in Tampa, and it works when we work together," Bercaw said.
For Bercaw and his officers, the reward is visible on the faces of the young people they serve.
"When you can come out and you can see that you have youth and a smile on their face, just the fact giving them a hamburger, hot dog, or just a smile on occasion, that's our paycheck for us," Bercaw said.
The fact that two 17-year-olds helped lead the Safe and Sound event is not lost on the people gathered at Fair Oaks. It is exactly the kind of outcome Dr. Tucker-Johnson and Michaela Grace said they are working toward: young people stepping into leadership, carrying the legacy forward, and proving that the next generation is ready.
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