“As a kid, state Sen. James Coleman associated Juneteenth with the food and festivity: turkey legs, candy and grabbing a new shirt from one of the many vendors who lined the street in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. “It was like our Fourth of July,” Coleman said. As he grew up, and especially as he … [Read more…]
“Organizers of the Juneteenth Music Festival and Parade in the Five Points neighborhood expect more than 50,000 people to come out over the course of the weekend, and are working with vendors and city leaders to have crowd control and security measures in place. Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United … [Read more…]
“Five Points has roots deep in Denver’s Black history. By the 1930s, 75% of Denver’s Black population lived in Five Points. Alongside tense and violent racial realities, music once again acted as a buoy for the neighborhood spirit; a beacon of culture and joy for the vibrant community. Sometimes called the “Harlem of the … [Read more…]
“Denver Arts and Venues is offering small grants throughout September to fund jazz events held in the Five Points neighborhood. The Five Points Jazz Activation grants will provide $15,000 for programs and initiatives that celebrate jazz and its legacy in Five Points, the city announced Wednesday. Applications opened Tuesday and will close at the … [Read more…]
“Norman Harris III stopped every minute or two along Welton Street to chat. “That was my son, Brenden,” Harris said during a lunchtime, three-block walk in which he also greeted business owners, residents and friends in the Five Points neighborhood, Denver’s historic center of Black culture. Fist bumps and smiles welcomed him amid the … [Read more…]
“Denver’s resilient Juneteenth Music Festival staged its annual parade last year in the historic Five Points neighborhood, despite challenges that made it one of the city’s only parades of 2020. “It was a real, actual parade down there,” said Norman Harris III, executive director of the music festival — the roots of which go … [Read more…]
“The in-person presentation of the 2021 Five Points Jazz Festival will be delayed due to the combination of health concerns and economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, Denver Arts & Venues announced Thursday. The festival, traditionally held in May in Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood along Welton Street, has a storied history in showcasing … [Read more…]
“For many music fans, First Friday Jazz in the Park at Sonny Lawson Park in Denver was the first show they’ve seen in months. The Friday night concert was outdoors and socially distanced. “It gives me chills,” said organizer Norman Harris. “People are getting vaccinations, and I feel like we’re getting COVID behind us. … [Read more…]
“A little more than a year ago, the team behind Denver’s annual Juneteenth celebration announced it would begin hosting monthly live concerts in Five Points, the historic epicenter of “Jazz in the West.” But like so many other things, the First Friday Five Points Jazz Hop was put on ice after COVID-19 locked the … [Read more…]
“For Norman Harris, Juneteenth has always been a family affair. But this year, Harris is also a new father in the middle of a pandemic and a surge of anti-racism and police brutality protests. While the celebration will look a little different, he’s bringing the same energy he gets from black leaders in Denver … [Read more…]