African American Museum celebrating Juneteenth with block party
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The African American Museum in Philadelphia is marking Juneteenth with a day of fun-filled family-friendly events including a Juneteenth block party.
There will be live music, games, food trucks and local vendors in the museum's parking lot.
CBS News Philadelphia reporter Howard Monroe spoke with the museum's programming coordinator Morgan Lloyd, "We have all kinds of small activations that are taking place throughout the day... outside we have cotton candy, face painters, we have all kind of activations. We even have this fantastic game called secure the bag, where we will be teaching children financial independence. It sounds complicated, but it is really a game of life where they wake up a little bit and learn what their parents are going through on a day to day. There are also going to be tons of food trucks and other small activations and we have a ton of vendors, other Black-owned businesses throughout the event, so if you're a little bit tired of dancing, little bit tired of eating, you can also spend a nice pretty penny here."
The headliner for the block party this year is DJ Spinderella from the rap group Salt-N-Pepa.
The block party runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There is also a new exhibit at the museum titled "Rising Sun, Artists in an Uncertain America."
Lloyd says, "This exhibition is really poignant in today's times because we are asking a very big question, is the sun rising or setting on the experiment of American democracy? A question that we, as well as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, did not come up with, but our founding father Benjamin Franklin did. The African American Museum especially ties in that question with the Black national anthem and now we have a dyspeptically answer all across the museum. It's been hailed by the New York Times. I highly recommend everyone comes to experience it. And even if you're not an art person, even if you don't necessarily identify with the individuals that are on our walls or throughout our halls, there is always a story that you can learn along the way."
Admission to the museum and block party is free.
The event kicks off the Wawa Welcome America 2023 festivities.