The following is an original production of AZPM News.

This week on Arizona Illustrated, we're celebrating Juneteenth from a new art show at the drawing studio.

Was the perfect backdrop to put something like this on display, especially with all of the things that are going on right now.

To the Tucson Juneteenth Festival that's been going on for more than 50 years.

Juneteenth is actually commemorating the bringing of the last slaves in Galveston, Texas.

Plus, we'll look at the hidden history of Tucson's Sugar Hill neighborhood.

Sugar Hill is a name that's given to many Black communities all over the country.

Hello and welcome to Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara and we're joining you from the Drawing Studio here in Tucson as they prepare for their third annual Juneteenth Art Expo.

So first off on the program, we're going to show you highlights from last year's event.

And we'll be back in a few minutes to tell you what's new for this year.

♪ UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING ♪ (Maggie) You walk into this space, you see it, it is everywhere.

The color, the joy, the celebration, the heart, the pain, the sorrow, all of it is in this room right now.

(Herman) Juneteenth was the perfect backdrop to put something like this on display, especially with all of the things that are going on right now... [ APPLAUSE ] ..in our cities, across country and even around the world.

this isn't going anywhere and it shouldn't go anywhere.

The day of Jubilee, as it has been playfully known as, will continue to be, and it's been celebrated in this community for over 40 years.

And I'm confident in our ability to continue to celebrate it, regardless of whose pin is in charge.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC ♪ I am Maggie Rush Miller, I'm the Executive Director of The Drawing Studio.

And we are sitting in an old Circle K, we call it building two.

And this is our second annual Ju I came into work a year ago May, and Ms.

Randiesia they approached me.

They said, "might we use the space?"

It was so moving for me to witness the power of gathering, that power of community.

We were at 25 last year So what can we do next year?

We do 100.

(Randiesia) When I was challenge with 100 Pan-African artists, I'm like, "oh yeah, I c And then I was thinking, "can I do that?"

but I'm like, "yeah, I can do that."

So we have people from up in the Phoenix area and in the greater Tucson area as well.

All the work was worth it.

(Maggie) Last year, it was just in our regular, very small, very small space.

It was very conservative in the way in which we presented it.

Conservative meaning expected.

This is not expected.

(Lin) The space itself has its own artistic piece.

I'm a big fan of the space reall also being integrated with the art that's being presented.

I think this space has accomplished that.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC ♪ (Jaron) Maggie has a beautiful mind, let's start with that.

The heart and soul that Maggie put into this and how much time and blood, sweat, and tears, so to speak, went into this.

Her passion, you can see how it came to life.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC ♪ (Raniesia) So when we consider a a lot of times we consider this Eurocentric perspective of gallery work.

And I did not want to move in that vein.

I wanted us to include the traditional artworks that we brought with us from our families.

And I wanted us as a community to be included in the artwork.

We are the artwork.

(Herman) Black art typically get a lot of negative label.

And so when people come in here and they see art of all different types of music, dance, there's artificial art, there's oil on canvas, there's watercolor, there's 3D art, all different mediums, all different people.

The range of ages that people are doing are all of one singular color.

I think that's important for people to understand that this is where it came from.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC ♪ (Jameela) So I have two pieces that are not paintings.

They're mixed media.

It's two women, an older woman and a younger child, and they're kind of connected.

It's about legacy and about passing down generational things, not all bad stuff, some good stuff.

And then there's also the connection between everybody having their own story.

And then I made a piece that's door knocker earrings.

And it is about adornment, being like protection and legacy.

And then the third piece that I made is a painting.

And it is all about ancestral wisdom and protection and knowing where I came from and knowing where I'm going.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC ♪ (Desirée) The first piece is kind of a dreamy piece.

It's got a white background with some texture.

It's very layered, so there's some fuchsia and blues that pop in that piece.

There's some Basquiat, is what one of the other artists said it was like, but a happy Basquiat.

And then the other piece is called Awakening.

This piece was done on acrylic on paper.

And it has an infusion of some shamanic elements where we are infusing some nature with a goddess who is screaming out to the universe to be heard.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC ♪ (Karl) I have one piece.

It's a handmade jewelry.

Basically, it's a handmade pendant using copper and a crystal called Atlantisite.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC ♪ For this expo, I've submitted 26 digital works, ranging in four different styles.

I have a euphoria style, which is centered around self-love and realizing your inner light, ust kind of cherishing and making sure that you always the positives in your mind.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC ♪ (K.A.V.E.T.É) I write poetry.

A lot of my pieces were really about empowerment, was really about being a black African-American girl, being just a woman in general, and being a single mother, and having our ancestors by our sides.

So I did it on a cassette tape, which was very unusual for me, because I've never done that.

But I enjoyed every bit of it because it was different.

I was able to just kind of go off script and also just be in the moment of it.

And I think that's what was really special to me.

Before the world was carved into countries, before maps and borders, there were thrones made of sunstone and crowns kissed by the cosmos.

There were queens, not just in name, but in purpose regal minds and radiant flesh whose beauty could halt wars.

Yet, it was their wisdom that moved nations.

It's a lot of different points of views, a lot of different artists doing a lot of and I'm definitely grateful to be part of it.

(Karl) Seeing that not only Juneteenth is a celebration of the ancestors, but everything I do is a celebration of my ancestors.

And to be a part of this, it was just like, you know, basically like adding to that connection.

(Desirée) The wisdom and energy and the creative expression of my ancestors flowing through me to be a part of this exhibit has really helped elevate my confidence and what I can do as an artist.

(Devin) It's empowering.

Like I can definitely say already, I've already got my sketchbook in my backpack, and I've been writing down notes about new textures and thought about some of these changes.

And I'm just like, "oh, let me go ahead and add that to my toolbox."

So it's been magnificent so far.

(K.A.V.E.T.É) I was overwhelmed with the arts that I saw.

I barely knew which way to go.

And it was just like, they're all different.

And they made me feel like you guys inspired me to now go write and also make art to go along with it.

(Maggie) We had Juneteenth efore there was a Juneteenth.

We celebrate ourselves before it is acknowledged.

That has been the history of ourselves.

It is a joyful, truly joyful moment for all of us.

It is a celebration.

They are the mirror through which I more clearly see myself as my children see themselves through me.

Our backs to their fronts, to their backs to their fronts, to their backs to their fronts.

Steady, we go onward, balanced.

Well, joining us now is the Executive Director of the Drawing Studio, Maggie Rush.

Thanks for having us in.

And Michelle Kusi, who is an artist and a community outreach coordinator here at the Drawing Studio.

And we're excited as you're excited, Juneteenth, third annual expo.

What's in store?

We're so excited because this year we will continue what we've done for the last two years, which is we've got over 30 artists.

Last year we had 100.

We have we've had to constrain the art component because this year we've added a food ways.

And that's really what I'm so excited about.

So the food ways component consists of 10 chefs, 10 ingredients and 10 stories.

So if you can imagine 10 ingredients, we've got hibiscus, we've got rice, we've got okra.

These are all African originated ingredients, but the stories of how they came to the states, how they became part of everyone's culture.

Right?

That's what's so exciting to us.

Well, that event sounds awesome.

So when is it?

All right.

So this year it is all June, all Juneteenth.

Our show is up 10 to 6 Monday through Saturday.

And then on the day, Juneteenth from 10 to 8, we have our food ways, we have our Black-owned businesses and we have our show up as well.

So come Juneteenth, all free, all brilliant.

And we're very specific and intentional when we say Pan-African.

And that's why Michelle is with us today as well.

Michelle, you're involved in now.

You're an artist.

You work here.

You coordinate things with the community and all.

Tell us about your involvement and your excitement about this.

Yeah.

Well, last year I was a part of the Drawing Studio, Juneteenth Expo last year.

And I submitted my work.

I do mixed media art with photography.

And so being on the other side of the show, it's really amazing to see how many artists we can bring in and tell the story.

It's different because when I first got into the show, I was looking for a community where I can show my work because in Tucson, I've never seen so many people like me in one area.

So being able to see that I felt really included and able to share my story.

So now being on the other end, I get to help other people also share their story.

And also I want to say, Tom, to your point, Juneteenth, right, this is our story.

This is African-American, Pan-African-American.

It's a story of Black folks and enslavement.

And I suggest that that story is truly all of our story, right?

All Americans are all American story.

And that is how we have been received.

So it even, Juneteenth to me is a day to welcome in all of us.

And I think at this moment, right, the challenges, I will say the challenges of this moment, where there are entities that are actively erasing parts of American history.

It is even more important that we all come together, ensuring that all stories are heard, all stories are celebrated and elevated.

So Juneteenth is an American day.

It is not just for Black folks.

It is for all of us.

The Tucson Juneteenth Festival has been gathering for this important date for over 50 years, long before it was a federal holiday.

Here's a look back at the 2017 event held at the Dunbar Spring Cultural Center.

- With the racism, it's hovering over America now.

If we don't identify it, if we don't call it what it is, it's just hovering.

If we don't expose the wound of racism, it's going to grow, so this is what it's about right now.

- There is a distinct slave narrative that goes throughout American history, and the fact that when slaves were freed, it didn't mean that the African American population gained the level of respect and equality that they deserved.

And I think we suffer from that to this day.

- We are at the Dunbar Cultural Center.

We're having the 47th Annual Juneteenth Festival indoors this year.

Juneteenth is actually the largest known celebration commemorating the freeing of the last slaves in Galveston, Texas.

- 1863, January the first, the president announced that we are free.

We, being the African American.

Since they didn't have a smartphone to text, they didn't get the word on time.

June the 19th, 1865, General Granger rode into Galveston Texas and said, the rest of you guys are free.

- So they dropped everything they were doing and they had a big party, so hence, we celebrate Juneteenth in June every year.

We have all different vendors here giving out information, giving everybody little give-aways and gifts and everything, just to learn about what's going on in the community.

The festival is open to everybody, and we love seeing all nationalities, all races, all ages here, having a good time and not worrying about all the other drama that's going on in the world.

We have the Black Film Club here today and actually, they do a film every third Saturday of the month, so it just happened to fall on Juneteenth.

Now, they're showing the film "Thirteen".

- The trail was dirty, bloody, to get me here.

- We have the Buffalo Soldiers inside, we have a lot of artifacts, a lot of history about the Buffalo Soldiers.

- Think about that.

I just happen to be 24 years in the military.

Military's been my life.

I light up when you mention the military.

When I see a soldier in uniform, I light up.

And so, when I see and hear the Buffalo Soldier, I want to know, who is this guy?

When I begin to study him, I recognize, he's me!

And I'm a product of that soldier.

Arizona has history about the African American.

- In August of 1775... I've studied African American History since I was 14, and what I find interesting is that the first African Americans came to Virginia about 1619.

The first person of African descent came to what is now Arizona in 1538, almost 80 years prior.

And some of the founding soldiers who came with Hugo O'Conor to found the city of Tucson in August 1775 were of African descent.

So we have a very deep African history here is Tucson, but we don't tend to be able to celebrate it as much because of the low percentage of numbers of African Americans in the community.

And, perhaps if there were more of us, that history would be as important here as it is for African Americans in places like Virginia.

- I was born and raised in Alabama, where I was showered with the N word.

My last name was boy, regardless of how old I was.

My parents was the n word, we was always less than thought as a man.

And so, here I am in Juneteenth, in Arizona.

Arizona now celebrates Juneteenth as a state holiday, so I'm elated.

- I grew up in the Civil Rights Movement, I'm 70 years old.

So, I integrated every school I went to from the time I was in high school on, I suffered a lot of abuses, I grew up when there was still segregated schools, segregated water fountains, segregated places to eat, so to see us make this much progress is very heartening to me.

And to see other people recognize not only how much progress we've made, but how much work we have to do, and have people involved in that work of good will, is very, very encouraging to me.

Now the 2026 Juneteenth Festival will be held on Saturday, June 20th from 6 to 10 pm in a much larger venue.

The Kino Sports Complex.

A testament to how much the festival has grown in recent years.

You can find more information at tucsonjune19.org.

The tradition of African American pride in Tucson is rooted in historically Black neighborhoods.

They were products of redlining and discriminatory housing policies, but they gave rise to a proud middle class and had their own unique identities.

Here now is the hidden history of Tucson's Sugar Hill neighborhood.

- [Sadie] Jacki Blu, thank you for sitting with me and bringing me into your home for this interview.

- My pleasure.

- [Sadie] I usually start out by asking the interviewee to state your name and also tell us your mother's name and your father's name?

- Okay, my name's Jack Anderson, Jr.

My father's name is Jack Anderson.

My mother's name is Neres Anderson, N-E-R-E-S.

And they all migrated out of Texas.

As long as I got something to tell you, I'm gonna tell it to you if you want to hear it.

'Cause nobody's been telling this Sugar Hill story right.

I was born and raised in Tucson, I didn't come from nowhere else.

I was born and raised right here in this desert.

Right here, we used to play in the barefoot summer heat, that's how we used to do.

- Sugar Hill is always been the name that this area has been called by the locals and people who grew up in the neighborhood or the surrounding areas.

(jazz music) Sugar Hill neighborhood is one of Tuscon's historic black neighborhoods.

(jazz music) People started moving in, late 40's, early 50s, around the time that the city decided to redline this area for black home owners.

My grandpa came here in the 50s, brought his family along from East St Louis, and yeah, we've been here ever since.

(jazz music) Sugar Hill is a name given to many black communities all over the country, but it refers to a black neighborhood that's kind of up and coming.

- My family moved over here in 1960.

I was four years old when we moved over here.

- I was born in this neighborhood.

I was born in 1961 in this neighborhood.

- [Gregory] My parents and the parents before me, they're the ones that built the community.

And they built a rich community, faith-based community, most of the people went to church.

- It was one of the middle class neighborhood where a lot of professionals lived.

There was a lot of military families.

There was, you know, principals, teachers, doctors.

- All right Sugar Hill, let's do something.

Can we make some noise up in here.

(audience yells) Can we make some noise?

- What it did was fostered neighborhoods that became united and achieved historic things.

♪ Dancing in the park ♪ Day after dark ♪ Racing cars ♪ Hopping down the hill - We're Sugar Hill Coalition, we're trying to get our community back.

♪ Sugar Hill ♪ Sugar Hill - From the 60s, the 70s, 80s and 90s, everything was very close knit.

- To my brothers and sisters from Sugar Hill, hold on.

- [Gregory] Unfortunately the drug epidemic hit and that literally destroyed a lot of people.

You know, a lot of people went to prison, a lot of people got addicted to drugs, a lot of people died.

A lot of people lost their homes, some people lost their homes behind that.

Unfortunately, that's what happened.

- [Jack] Hey, I'm Jacki Blu, God bless you.

(audience cheers) I know folks that because of those times and those days, some of them had just getting out of the penitentiary.

You know, been there all their time.

And that's who I'm talking to in my music.

I'm talking to the people that was right out there with me, where this fighting the revolution, of selling drugs in the street.

(jazz music) - The goal of the Sugar Hill Oral History Project is to make visible the history of the neighborhood, the lives of the people who lived here and who still live here.

And just to increase their awareness of the neighborhood and the black community in Tucson.

(jazz music) - My mother came out to support or not, find a job.

My father on the other hand, a little bit of a different story.

He came here with qualified papers to be a heavy equipment operator, to build homes or build highways.

He was putting in applications everywhere, and he couldn't get a job.

Til finally somebody, one of his friends, told him that man, they're putting your application at the bottom of the list.

You will never get hired because you're black.

He could get a job as a janitor, which is what he did.

So he was an angry man deep down inside because he had to spend most of his life doing work that he didn't like to do.

- When it comes to racism, segregation and oppression, I think, you know, it's similar in all areas of the country.

- Everything that you see internationally happened here locally.

On a smaller scale, student rioting, I've heard people get shot by the police, you know, relatives got shot by the police.

- I don't think it's vastly different from living in the South.

Maybe you weren't gonna get lynched but, you know, there's still all kinds of oppression and, you know, places where you had to stay and jobs that you couldn't get.

When did the neighborhood start to change?

- Like it is now?

- [Sadie] Yeah, when did it become like a Black community into something different?

And what do you think caused that?

- [Jack] Time brings about a change.

So, a lot of that tribute to time.

- I chose this one to kind of really show the world like what gentrification has done to the neighborhood.

I mean, you look to your right, look to your left, these are houses that developers came in, bought up.

The whole block is student houses now.

Feldman's neighborhood to the south, Jefferson Park to the east, they all have historic designation status.

You know, Sugar Hill does not.

(Jack) At the end, when I call at the end of the battle right, we lost it.

I ain't say is over but we lost it.

(Sadie) I called one of these nu and asked if I could stay there, if I could live there and I was told that this wasn't a good neighborhood for me to stay in 'cause I have a daughter.

- Is just kind of sad, that some of the things... Most locked, we've fought for 'cause some of it is just... And the people that fought for it, you know, nobody knows about them, nobody cares.

That's what I'm saying, nobody really care.

I can tell them about them, but they don't care.

(Sadie) My main purpose, working with the Neighborhood Association was to bring light to the historic residents, the history of it and just to make, make the neighborhood visible again in the real way that you know, it was in the past.

♪ Sugar Hill ♪ Sugar Hill ♪ Sugar Hill ♪ Su-Su-Sugar Hill Thank you for joining us for Arizona Illustrated from here at the Drawing Studio in their third annual Juneteenth Art Expo.

It's a good one.

I'm Tom McNamara.

Going to go check out some of the art and I'll see you next week.