Juneteenth: Phoenix businesses along 'The Black Row' celebrate
Phoenix Black Row celebrates Juneteenth
Ten businesses on Indian School Road are offering specials to showcase heritage and economic empowerment. FOX 10's Ellen McNamara has more.
PHOENIX - As Phoenix residents prepare to celebrate Juneteenth, a hidden pocket of central Phoenix is stepping into the spotlight to showcase heritage and economic empowerment.
The backstory:
According to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture, the roots of Juneteenth can be tracked back to June 19, 1865, when Union troops in Texas officially announced that enslaved people in Texas have been freed.
"Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later," read a portion of the website.
Big picture view:
"The Black Row" is a vibrant stretch of 10 black-owned businesses on Indian School Road.
"Between 8th and 10th Street in Indian School, there are 10 black-owned businesses that are nestled in here that most people don't know about," said Tina Marie.
Marie owns three concepts in the area, including Thrift Stories Boutique, one of Arizona's very few black-owned thrift shops.
"There is this misperception that sometimes, we want support because we're black, not we want support because businesses are our passion. They're our legacy," she said.
Just doors down from Marie, Bruce Ijirigo and his wife have operated African Fashions and More since 2012.
"We have everything African in this shop. Everything African, including the clothes, the beads, the.. everything that you need to dress up as an African," Ijirigo said.
To commemorate the holiday, these businesses are opening their doors with a clever nod to the historic date, June 19. Shops are offering special promotional deals priced at exactly $6.19. At Ace of Fades 2, a neighborhood staple for seven years, they are pairing the celebration with Father's Day.
"Any fathers out there, being as though that Father's Day is on Sunday. Any fathers that have a kid, man, bring them down. $6.19. You can't beat that, y'all. $6.19 for Juneteenth," Drakkar Wright said.
From barbershops and boutiques to Caribbean and Ethiopian cuisine, owners say the goal is to turn a one-day celebration into long-term generational wealth.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Tina Marie, Bruce Ijirigo, Drakkar Wright, and business owners.