YOU CAN JOIN IN ON THE CELEBRATIONS. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY. A CELEBRATION TO REFLECT ON THE PAST AND LOOK TOWARD A BRIGHTER FUTURE. THAT’S THE GOAL OF THE BLACK TOWN’S RHYTHM AND BLUES JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL IN BOLEY, CELEBRATING THE MESSAGE THAT SLAVERY HAD ENDED. JUNETEENTH IS OUR SECOND INDEPENDENCE DAY BRINGS AWARENESS TO OUR BLACK COMMUNITY OF THE RESILIENCE AND THE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT WE HAD, AND BASICALLY JUST OUR OUR FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN EQUALITY. NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR GREGORY HICKS SAYS HE WANTS TO PUT THEIR TOWN BACK ON THE MAP AND BRING AWARENESS TO ITS HISTORY, AS THEY’RE ONE OF 13 ORIGINAL ALL BLACK TOWNS IN THE STATE. WE ARE TRYING TO GROW OUR TOWN ALONGSIDE THEIR RICH HISTORY. DURING THE FESTIVAL. YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE OTHER 12 ALL BLACK TOWNS AND HOW THEY’RE WORKING TOWARD A BRIGHTER FUTURE. SOME OF THE OTHER TOWNS DO THINGS A LITTLE BETTER THAN OTHERS, AND WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, SO WE PULLING IN RESOURCES AND STRATEGIZING TOGETHER. BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, THE FAMILY FRIENDLY FESTIVAL WILL HAVE ALL THINGS FOOD, GAMES, ART, AND OF COURSE, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. ANY AND EVERYBODY WHO WANTS IT IS NOT LIMITED AND RESTRICTED TO BLACK PEOPLE, SO WE WANT EVERYONE TO COME OUT AND BE A PART OF THIS AMAZING CELEBRATION. THE FESTIVAL WILL BE THIS SATURDAY FROM 6 TO 9 P.M. AT THE BOLEY RODEO ARENA. WE WE OWE IT TO OUR ANCESTORS. WE WE DON’T HAVE IT QUITE AS ROUGH AS AS THEM. THEY THEY WENT THROUGH A LOT FOR US TO BE AT THIS POINT IN OUR LIFE NOW. SO WE OWE IT TO THEM TO PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD AND, AND TRY TO BE GRE
Boley Juneteenth festival celebrates freedom and community
The upcoming Juneteenth festival in Boley aims to celebrate freedom and community with a day of fun, reflection, and learning about the history of all-Black towns.
Updated: 5:15 PM CDT Jun 25, 2025
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The “Black Towns Rhythm and Blues Juneteenth Festival” in Boley, Oklahoma, will celebrate freedom and community this Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Boley Rodeo Arena.>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel”We’re gonna have something for everybody,” said Karen Ekuban, an organizer of the Juneteenth event.The festival aims to reflect on the past and look toward a brighter future, celebrating the message that slavery had ended. Gregory Hicks, the newly elected mayor of Boley, emphasized the significance of Juneteenth, saying, “Juneteenth is our second Independence Day. It brings awareness to our Black community, of the resilience and achievements that we had. And basically, our fight for civil rights and human equality.”Mayor Hicks expressed his desire to put Boley back on the map and bring awareness to its history as one of the 13 original all-Black towns in Oklahoma. “We are trying to grow our town,” Hicks said.Ekuban highlighted the importance of the festival in educating visitors about Boley’s history. “It really brings people into the town. And the more people we have coming into the town they learn more about our history, they learn why it’s important to keep this history alive, or to reactivate this history,” she said.The festival will also provide an opportunity to learn about the other 12 all-Black towns and their efforts toward a brighter future. Kristopher Harvey, mayor of Tatums, noted the collaborative spirit among the towns, saying, “Some of the other towns do things better than others, and we can all learn from each other, so we are pulling in resources and strategizing together.”In addition to its educational aspects, the family-friendly festival will feature food, games, art, and live entertainment. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.”Any and everybody. It is not limited and restricted to Black people, so we want everyone to come out and be a part of this amazing celebration,” said Ellington Boyce, an event organizer.”We owe it to our ancestors, we don’t have it quite as rough as them. They went through a lot for us to be at this point in our life now. So, we owe it to them to put our best foot forward and be great in life,” Harvey said.Top Headlines Police identify 18-year-old victim who died after shooting outside of Harkins Theatre in Bricktown ‘Swam away with the victim’: Report details ‘thrashing gator’ incident that left Florida woman dead Crash causes significant traffic delays on southbound Lake Hefner Parkway in northwest OKC Juvenile taken to hospital after shooting in northwest Oklahoma City, police say Thunder star Alex Caruso to work ‘shift’ at Oklahoma City Raising Cane’s location on Thursday
The “Black Towns Rhythm and Blues Juneteenth Festival” in Boley, Oklahoma, will celebrate freedom and community this Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Boley Rodeo Arena.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
“We’re gonna have something for everybody,” said Karen Ekuban, an organizer of the Juneteenth event.
The festival aims to reflect on the past and look toward a brighter future, celebrating the message that slavery had ended.
Gregory Hicks, the newly elected mayor of Boley, emphasized the significance of Juneteenth, saying, “Juneteenth is our second Independence Day. It brings awareness to our Black community, of the resilience and achievements that we had. And basically, our fight for civil rights and human equality.”
Mayor Hicks expressed his desire to put Boley back on the map and bring awareness to its history as one of the 13 original all-Black towns in Oklahoma.
“We are trying to grow our town,” Hicks said.
Ekuban highlighted the importance of the festival in educating visitors about Boley’s history.
“It really brings people into the town. And the more people we have coming into the town they learn more about our history, they learn why it’s important to keep this history alive, or to reactivate this history,” she said.
The festival will also provide an opportunity to learn about the other 12 all-Black towns and their efforts toward a brighter future. Kristopher Harvey, mayor of Tatums, noted the collaborative spirit among the towns, saying, “Some of the other towns do things better than others, and we can all learn from each other, so we are pulling in resources and strategizing together.”
In addition to its educational aspects, the family-friendly festival will feature food, games, art, and live entertainment.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
“Any and everybody. It is not limited and restricted to Black people, so we want everyone to come out and be a part of this amazing celebration,” said Ellington Boyce, an event organizer.
“We owe it to our ancestors, we don’t have it quite as rough as them. They went through a lot for us to be at this point in our life now. So, we owe it to them to put our best foot forward and be great in life,” Harvey said.
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