CINCINNATI — Findlay Market opened in 1852, roughly 13 years before the events of Juneteenth.
Short for “June 19,” Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas, with news the Civil War had ended, and previously enslaved people were now free.
Granger arrived in southeast Texas more than two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth only became a federal holiday in 2021. However, African Americans and Black communities have commemorated “Emancipation Day” for well over a century.
While much has changed in the United States in terms of racial equality over the past 158 years, there’s still work to do, said Alisa Berry, executive director of Cornerstone Renters Equity.
On Saturday, Berry is taking part in Findlay Market’s third annual Juneteenth weekend celebration. The event includes two days of happenings. The major highlight is a ticketed food tasting and informational session about the Black-owned vendors at the market.
What You Need To Know
- Findlay Market's third annual Juneteenth weekend features a panel discussion and a ticketed food-tasting event
- The market views "Emancipation Day" as a way to support Black-owned businesses and highlight struggles many African Americans continue to face
- There are 47 Black-owned businesses at the historic public market in Over-the-Rhine
Berry will help get the weekend started as part of an hour-long panel discussion at The Columns, an event space next to the Market House on West Elder Street in Over-the-Rhine.
From 11 a.m. to noon, Berry will join other community leaders and business owners to talk about the history and importance of Juneteenth, as well as ongoing race-related challenges still faced by communities across the country.
Panelists include Berry; Asa Featherstone, IV, an artist and Corporation for Findlay Market board member; Brandon Hill, CEO and founder of In Fly We Trust; and Deasa Dorsey, CEO and founder of I Can Health. Kara Willis, from The Mercantile Library, will moderate the discussion.
The event is free, but anyone who wants to attend must RSVP because of limited space.
Juneteenth symbolizes freedom, Berry said, but it also highlights the hardships many Black Americans continue to face today. She referred to those “residual effects of slavery” as hurting many Black people’s ability to “operate on a level playing field,” both professionally and socially.
“Many African Americans across the country are still dealing with systemic issues of racism and discrimination that to oppress them,” she added. “Anything we can do to support Black and brown businesses, financially and otherwise, remains really important to this day.”
On Sunday, Findlay Market programming returns to its roots with its annual tasting event featuring many of its Black-owned businesses.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., attendees can buy tickets for small bites from the market merchants and vendors taking part. Each ticket is good for one sample.
Tickets are five for $10, and 12 for $20. All proceeds go back to participating businesses.
As of Tuesday, merchants taking part include A Mother’s Touch Cakes, A&D Ernest, Bouchards, Chamaele, Chico’s Cheesecakes, Dat’s Ole School Cookin’, Flavors of the Isle, Gramma Debbie’s Kitchen, Honey Child Artisan Pops, Makers Bakers Co., Miley Pooh Sweets and Heads Up Trading Co.
Kelly Lanser, who leads communications for Findlay Market, noted that she expects more vendors to sign up in the days leading up to the event.
“Our hope is we’ll be able to bring out the city,” said Tosha Gannaway, owner and operator of Gramma Debbie’s Kitchen. It’s one of 47 Black-owned businesses at the market.
Gannaway, who took over the business a couple of years ago from her mother-in-law, said, “Juneteenth isn’t just for people of color. She described it as being “wrapped up in all American history.”
“This is just about fellowship with your fellow Cincinnatians,” she added. “My wish is that everyone will come down and taste a little bit of what we have to offer and learn about the culture and what Juneteenth is all about.”
Gramma Debbie’s Kitchen is known for its mixture of meats, vegan items, salads and sides. For Father’s Day weekend, it has specials on seasoned baby back ribs and marinated chicken breasts ready to toss on the grill, Gannaway said.
On Sunday, the 30-year-old business will serve a sample of kale and collard greens cooked in a broth mixed with sauteed onions and turkey wings. The small plate of greens will come with a slice of cornbread on the side.
Events like Juneteenth are an important weekend for all Findlay Market vendors, Gannaway said. The cultural elements are significant, she stressed, but it’s also an opportunity to bring new shoppers to the market to support its various small businesses.
“I can count more than a handful of times when a customer attending an event would stop by our stand and tried our sample and said, ‘I didn’t know your business was here’ or ‘I didn’t realize chickpeas or baked potato salad could be so delicious,’” she added.
“It’s just a really great opportunity for our business and the others as well.”
Findlay Market created the Juneteenth programming three years ago, Lanser said. She described the market as being a natural fit for such an event because of the natural interactions between business owners, community partners and shoppers that take place there every day.
Dating back to the mid-19th century, Findlay Market began as an important community staple for German and German American immigrants, and later Appalachian Americans who moved into the area.
By the 1960s, however, the population of Over-the-Rhine declined by more than half, to 15,025, but the number of African American residents doubled because of displacement from the nearby West End caused by the construction of Interstate 75 and urban renewal. The population of Over-the-Rhine is now roughly 70% African American.
Over the years, Findlay Market has served as both an important grocery store and community meeting ground for many OTR residents.
Lanser described Findlay Market as the perfect platform for “public-facing and open conversations” about Juneteenth and other social issues.
“We take seriously our role as stewards of the market in ensuring that Findlay Market remains a dynamic place for social interactions and meaningful discussions, as well as a place for entrepreneurs to start and grow,” she added.