MILWAUKEE — For traditions as rich as Juneteenth in Milwaukee, fostering the youth is important.
"Our youth are the most important people in this community," said Tony Kearney, the executive director at the Northcott Neighborhood House. "They're our future leaders."
That's why Northcott honored this year's Juneteenth court, made up of the city's youth.
TMJ4 spoke to the winners of the pageant, Zoe Chambers and Matthew Gross. They say they're excited to represent their culture.
“We weren’t able to do this in the past," said Zoe Chambers, Miss Juneteenth 2024. "Being able to be Black-owned businesses, getting out and celebrating with each other. So I would say now just reflecting on it, it really is a pride and honor thing to almost be the face of Juneteenth."
Milwaukee's Juneteenth parade has been around for generations, and that history can be seen in the city's youth.
“Growing up I remember seeing Juneteenth and seeing just joy, seeing a lot of African traditions reclaimed and celebrated in the modern day," said Matthew Goss, Mister Juneteenth 2024.
Winning the pageant came with some scholarship money. Goss tells TMJ4 he's proud to use that money to attend Morehouse College in the Fall, an HBCU in Atlanta.
“I believe I am my ancestor’s wildest dreams," Goss said. "So, it just feels really substantial to honor them to be able to represent my history."
As for Chambers, she hopes her generation comes out for the party on Wednesday.
“I would say specifically for the teens, come out, have fun, be safe," Chambers said. "It’s going to be a lot of different events, plenty of artists, a lot of things for us to do so come out."
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