Pittsburgh poised to fund 2 Juneteenth events after controversy over dueling celebrations

Pittsburgh has figured out a way to defuse a controversy over dueling Juneteenth celebrations: Give money to both.

The city is now poised to help fund two separate Juneteenth events next month after a longtime event organizer last week condemned Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration for initially proposing to steer cash to another event and leave him without city support.

William “B” Marshall has hosted a high-profile Juneteenth festival in the city for more than a decade.

Last year, he received $125,000 from the city to support his efforts. At the time, council authorized up to $250,000 for up to two years, but city officials ultimately signed a contract with Marshall for half the amount to cover costs during last year’s event only.

Gainey’s chief of staff, Jake Wheatley, said other event organizers started reaching out to the city to request funding after the city provided cash for Marshall’s Juneteenth.

The administration then launched a standard competitive bid process to select an event organizer for a city-sponsored Juneteenth celebration this year.

Marshall and his supporters last week lambasted the administration for choosing Pittsburgh-based Bounce Marketing and Events rather than his longstanding Juneteenth celebration.

City Council on Wednesday voted to provide Bounce with $125,000 — but also introduced legislation to authorize the same amount to the POISE Foundation, which works with Marshall.

The measure was sponsored by Council President R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill District, with seven other members listed as co-sponsors. Missing was Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End.

That measure will appear on council’s agenda again next week for a preliminary vote. Council is expected to take a final vote the following week, which means the measure will likely be approved just a couple days before Marshall’s three-day celebration begins on June 14.

Marshall said his event Downtown will move ahead as planned — and would have even if the city didn’t provide any funding.

“We’re very appreciative of them trying to do something to remedy the situation,” Marshall said.

Gainey on Wednesday announced details of the inaugural city-sponsored Juneteenth event, which will be held in and around the Greenwood Plan building on Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh on June 29.

Fantasy Zellars, Bounce’s president and CEO, touted the event as a “celebration of Pittsburgh’s rich Black culture.”

Related:

• Dueling Pittsburgh Juneteenth celebrations spark controversy, criticism of Gainey

The event, dubbed Juneteenth Fusion Fest, will include a “variety of attractions,” including performances, a spoken word experience, an art gallery, activities for kids, a walking tour and a makers’ market. The emphasis, she said, will be on hiring local performers and vendors.

Zellars said her organization’s three decades of event organizing experience — which has included Gainey’s inauguration and events for well-known brands like Twitter and Amazon and celebrities like Beyonce — will ensure a successful Juneteenth event.

Some council members on Wednesday voiced disapproval of the way the administration went through its process, which has sown confusion and division among Pittsburghers and council members alike.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he felt Marshall’s event should be the only one to get money this year for a Juneteenth commemoration. Coghill said he wanted to “abandon the administration’s festivities for this year.”

“The way it was done sits heavy with me,” Coghill said, criticizing the administration’s decision to choose a vendor other than Marshall. “This has been a distraction, I’m sure, for him.”

Kail-Smith also voted against giving money to Bounce. She said she was uncomfortable with the process and uncertain how she would vote regarding the measure to give Marshall money when it comes before council over the next two weeks.

Council ultimately approved giving Bounce $125,000, with Coghill and Kail-Smith voting against the measure. Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, was not present for the vote.

Gainey in a press conference Wednesday defended his administration’s actions. He said the formal bid process was meant to improve transparency and ensure all event organizers had an opportunity to apply.

The mayor thanked Marshall “for uplifting Juneteenth,” but said he wanted to ensure the city had its own celebration — complete with city funding and a transparent selection process — for years to come.

It was unclear where the city will find funding for future celebrations, given that the money going to both Bounce and Marshall this year comes from American Rescue Plan Act money that will not be available after this year.

Jake Pawlak, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the city intends to include funding in its 2025 budget.