The 25-foot red, black and green flag with the word “Justice” boldly printed could be seen by thousands as Philadelphia’s fifth-annual Juneteenth Parade, one of the largest in the county, commenced down 52^nd Street on Sunday, June 19.

@asicentral Philadelphia’s #Juneteenth ♬ Freedom juneteenth - Jabari Clay

Over 25,000 people gathered in West Philadelphia to advocate for justice and the continued fight for freedom; to celebrate Black life and Black culture; and ultimately to commemorate the day in 1865 when Union soldiers landed at Galveston, TX, with news that the war had ended and enslaved African Americans were now free.

Cheers of “Happy Freedom Day,” “Happy Juneteenth” and "Happy Father’s Day” echoed throughout the crowd, many of whom wore red, black and green accessories or shirts with raised fists as they proudly waved the Pan-African flag.

Coming out of a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, this year’s parade proved to be Philadelphia’s largest yet. Significantly, it was also the first since President Joe Biden signed The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in June 2021, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

“We are joined together to have fun, embrace our history and continue the tradition of Kujichagulia – self-determination,” the parade’s organizers, the Pennsylvania Juneteenth Initiative, said in a release.

Over 20 floats honoring Black music, historically Black colleges and universities, Harriet Tubman and more – plus politicians, local businesses, youth groups, nonprofits, dance and music groups – were led by the parade’s grand marshal, Sheryl Lee Ralph, one of the stars of Philadelphia-set ABC sitcom, “Abbott Elementary.”

The festivities didn’t stop there. As the parade concluded at Malcolm X Park, the celebration continued throughout the afternoon with local merchants, food vendors, music and dance performances and carnival games at the notably named park.

The spirit of Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, united vendors and organizations that gathered at the park with booths stocked with promotional products portraying their cause.

Health and wellness companies gave out bags, sunglasses, first-aid kits and other promo items at Philadelphia’s Juneteenth celebration.

“Juneteenth is the day where liberation was brought to the furthest parts of our community,” said Tamar Wilson, political organizer with the Socialist Alternative, an activist group that campaigns for things like a $15 per hour minimum wage. “We’re an organization that’s fighting for Black liberation, fighting for the things that everyday working-class Black people need, as well as other people in the working class.”

Wilson stood in front of the Socialist Alternative table, which had an array of advocacy promo buttons with images of Black activists and sayings like “Diversity is our strength, liberation is sour power” and “Unite to fight for what’s right.”

The Socialist Alternative’s table of buttons at Philadelphia’s 2022 Juneteenth festival.

A promo tee that read “Inhale Strength, Exhale Power” attracted a line of people to the American Lung Association’s booth, where representatives were sharing facts about lung cancer screening with community members.

People gathered at the American Lung Association’s booth to get information about cancer screening and receive a free T-shirt.

Black-owned businesses, Temple University, Trulieve medical marijuana dispensary, Black Learners Matter Too, Peco and the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office were among other groups that celebrated the day and handed out promo products.

Quarantine Racism, an educational services company, was selling an array of T-shirts at the Juneteenth festival.

Insurance company Ambetter from PA Health & Wellness distributed summer-event promo staples like gym bags and sunglasses. Smokefree Philly handed out similar summer promo staples and asked Juneteenth celebrators to post sticky notes on their “reason to quit smoking” wall.

Smokefree Philly invited attendees to fill out sticky notes and add them to their “reason to quit” wall.

“We’re here to celebrate Juneteenth,” said Kay Gore, manager of community relations and outreach at PA Health and Wellness. “Because we’re a diverse and inclusive employer, it was important for us to be here. … We wanted to make the neighborhood aware that there is a low-cost insurance to our market on the marketplace.”

Being COVID-conscious and distributing products and information that would help prevent the spread of the virus was on the mind of many organizations, including the Urban League of Philadelphia, a 105-year-old civil rights organization.

“We’re here today because of course, it’s a federal holiday and it’s important for us to make sure that our community has the resources that they need,” said Tomas Varela, director of advocacy and communications for the Urban League of Philadelphia. “Our job is to advocate for my folks and other marginalized communities, to help them get into the middle class.”

Though a large gathering of diverse people from all over, the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade still had the feel of a tight-knit, intimate neighborhood gathering. Organizations from all industries celebrated Freedom Day with the community, personifying the raised fist’s symbol of unity, resilience and strength.