When master mixologist Tiffanie Barriere and her father moved to Atlanta about 25 years ago, they were surprised the city didn’t do much to celebrate Juneteenth. Barriere grew up observing the emancipation day in Houston and Western Louisiana, where Juneteenth parties were ubiquitous.
“We thought Atlanta, being the mecca and all this Blackness … We were like, ‘What the hell? Y’all don’t do Juneteenth?’” she recalls.
That revelation led Barriere and her dad to make annual June trips back home to participate in the family reunion-style celebration she’d enjoyed since childhood. It took years for Atlanta to organize a citywide event; Atlanta’s Juneteenth Parade and Festival did not begin until 2012. But for many residents, the holiday didn’t gain widespread recognition until President Joe Biden signed a bill into law to make Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.
On the fifth anniversary of Juneteenth becoming a holiday that gives many Americans a day off work, Black restaurateurs, chefs and lifelong Juneteenth celebrators like Barriere are seeing a shift in how Atlanta commemorates the holiday.
Barriere’s childhood spent celebrating Juneteenth meant she could share holiday traditions with restaurant industry friends, such as Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours owner Deborah VanTrece, who didn’t grow up observing the holiday.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
“The passion and intensity she had behind it, because that’s what she had grown up with, was something that you wanted to be a part of,” VanTrece said of those early conversations with Barriere about a decade ago. “We had already begun trying to think of ways where we could commemorate it before it became a federal holiday. Every year, I see a little bit more interest.”
At Twisted Soul, that means two days of specials with Juneteenth-inspired menus. On Friday, they’re hosting a fish fry complete with sides of fries, southern grits or spaghetti, a typical side dish for fried fish in the Midwest. They’re also planning drink specials for cocktails red in color, which are customary for the day. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, red foods represent resilience and joy, and sacrifices endured by enslaved ancestors.
Credit: Courtesy of the VanTrece Hospitality Group
Credit: Courtesy of the VanTrece Hospitality Group
In the five years since Juneteenth became a federal holiday, VanTrece has noticed more non-Black patrons using the day to support Black-owned businesses, including her restaurant.
“People are trying to figure out, ‘How do we support without being offensive, without taking anything away from the culture that we’re trying to celebrate?’ I think one of the easy things is we can go to a Black-owned restaurant or Black-owned business,” she said.
Marcus Bar & Grille is planning a Juneteenth block party with a DJ, local vendors and a Juneteenth menu featuring fried catfish, cornbread and watermelon salad. Executive chef Gary Caldwell says that, since Juneteenth has become a federal holiday, he’s noticed more people, especially older generations, coming to their event and others in Atlanta. He hopes more recognition for the holiday means more young people are inspired to celebrate and become civically active in order to protect the rights we have today.
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Credit: Aaliyah Man
Barriere has seen Atlanta’s Juneteenth celebrations come a long way — from not much awareness to dozens of celebrations across the city. For Black Atlantans still planning how to celebrate, she says there’s no wrong way to mark the occasion.
“Do a skate party, do a picnic, do something more ancestral, do however you want to celebrate because it is a Jubilee,” Barriere said. “That’s what we call it: Jubilee is a celebration, so I think Atlanta is doing it right.”
Sheeka Sanahori is a freelance journalist and video producer who lives in Decatur.
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