SC Black Activist Calls for Boycott of Greenville Juneteenth Celebration

A former chair of the Greenville chapter of the NAACP is calling for a boycott of Greenville’s Juneteenth celebration, saying the organizers have allied with the city of Greenville, “a city with a history of policies and practices that harm vulnerable communities, particularly Black and Brown people”

Paul Guy, executive director of Justice Intervention Initiative, released a statement Tuesday on behalf of the New Washington Heights Neighborhood Association.

He said the city and Juneteenth organizers perpetuate “systemic racism and goes against the principles of equality and justice. Given the ongoing destruction of Black communities under the current administration, the organizers’ banner of ‘Freedom’ and ‘Unity’ is called into question.”

He said the city’s idea of unity is for minority populations to be submissive and obedient.

City officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Like most Southern cities, Greenville has a difficult racial history. It was an area with few slaveholders but one that embraced separate schools and public facilities. It closed public pools and for a short time the library when Black residents protested. Among those who worked to integrate the library was Greenville teen Jesse Jackson, who later became a national civil rights leader.

But when other cities saw arrests and violence as Black residents sought to eat at lunch counters, Greenville leaders decided to eat together to usher in a new era. And when the final federal court order to integrate schools came in 1970, Greenville County schools were without widespread rancor.

Greenville recently made good on a decades-old promise to build a public park in a historically Black community. It is called Unity Park, and has caused the property values in the area to explode. The city, though, held aside land for affordable housing.

The Greenville Juneteenth celebration to begin Saturday has faced pushback from others in the Black community. It’s sponsored by Juneteenth GVL at the Peace Center for Performing Arts.

Another organization that previously held a Juneteenth event at the Peace Center filed a lawsuit claiming breach of contract against the performing arts venue.

The lawsuit alleged that community activist Bruce Wilson and Derek Quarles had a verbal agreement since 2021 with the Peace Center to exclusively stage a Juneteenth concert at the outdoor arena on the grounds of the downtown venue.

They sponsored a Juneteenth event in 2020, which the lawsuit says was free and successful, drawing 1,000 people. Events were held in 2021 and 2022 in conjunction with the Peace Center, which the lawsuit says handled all aspects of the entertainment.

Juneteenth GVL has scheduled a week-long event featuring food, family and wellness events, concerts, seminars and art exhibits.

Megan Riegel, president and CEO of the Peace Center, released a statement saying, “The Peace Center is presently pursuing legal counsel to address Mr. Wilson’s frivolous allegations. In the meantime, please remember there are two sides to every story. The Peace Center remains committed to serving the best interests of our community and is thrilled the Peace Pavilion will be utilized for a Juneteenth concert on June 17.”

The lawsuit asks for damages amounting to $25,000 a year. It does not say for how many years.

Juneteenth GVL has been criticized for erecting banners in downtown Greenville that show people of different races. The ones showing a white man and white woman were the main focus of complaints. Wilson called them “whitewashing” the event.

Juneteenth has been a federal holiday since 2021 and commemorates the freeing of enslaved African Americans after the Civil War.

Within days of the backlash over the banners, Juneteenth GVL organizers apologized for them and took down all the banners and replaced them with generic banners about the event.

Rueben Hays, founder of Juneteenth GVL, said in a statement, “This error was an attempt at uniting all of Greenville and thereby a slight oversight on one individual’s part that prevented us from fully embracing the rich potential and celebrating the depth of black culture through the message and meaning of Juneteenth.”