Not even the heat and rain could keep the crowd away at the fourth annual Juneteenth Food Festival at the Weeksville Heritage Center on Thursday.
“There’s no place like Weeksville, and there’s no other event like the Juneteenth Food Festival,” said Dr. Raymond Codrington, president and chief executive officer of Weeksville Heritage Center.
The festival, held on the lawn of the historic Hunterfly Road Houses and along Bergen Street in Crown Heights, featured 29 Black-owned food vendors offering a range of culinary options, including West African dishes, fishcakes and barbecue.
Founded in 1838 by James Weeks, a freed Black man, Weeksville was one of the first and largest free Black communities in the United States.
The event, co-curated by Black-Owned Brooklyn, provides a platform for Black-owned businesses to gain exposure, expand their customer base and build a local network.
“Part of the reason this event is important is that entrepreneurship, business development, self determination are all key tenets of Weeksville’s history and the reason that it exists,” Codrington said.
Kevin Morgan, owner and chef of Lacey Burger, was serving up smash burgers and smoked wings, with sauces and pickles made in house.
“It’s great to see our community come out and support local businesses,” Morgan said. “We’ve made a lot of friends over the last three years. The festival marks the start of summer for us, so it’s time to start the busy season.”
Brooklyn resident Rayne Neuni attended the festival for the first time with her two children.
“My main concern was finding somewhere I could bring my kids,” she said. “A lot of families brought their children, so they got to interact and play. It’s really an amazing event.”
Aisha Cosby, who now lives in North Carolina, returned to her old neighborhood to take part in the festivities and a chance to reconnect with her community.
“My husband and I were born and raised not too far from here,” she said. “We come back every year for this.”
In addition to culinary vendors, the festival hosted one non-food business, BEM | books & more.
“We’re a Black food bookstore. Everything we carry deals with food and is written by Black authors from across the diaspora,” said Gabrielle Davenport, a co-founder. “We’ve been vending here for the past three years, and we love being out here with the community and celebrating being Black.”
From its earliest origins in Texas, Juneteenth has centered on community, music, and, of course, food. The celebration at Weeksville honors that tradition.
“This is the first year we’re actually holding the festival on Juneteenth itself,” said Codrington. “Over the years, attendance has grown, which has been great to see.”
