Juneteenth celebration in Greensburg park showcases community organizations

Under a shady grove of tents and trees, locals gathered on Sunday in St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg as part of a larger, weekend-long celebration of Juneteenth.

For nonprofit leader Ronel Baccus, the Juneteenth event was also a celebration of reaching out to Greensburg and the region as a whole.

Baccus, who is president of the nonprofit Unity in the Community of Southwestern Pa., has run the event for the past four years.

“We kicked it off in Jeannette yesterday. Today is in Greensburg, and tomorrow is in Arnold,” she said. “It just brings unity in. There is so much division, but (we can) come together as one, just to celebrate and forget about all the things outside, and just enjoy it.”

Baccus founded Unity in the Community as a nonprofit in 2017 to support her children, who were experiencing discrimination in school, she said.

“I wanted to bring people to know, so that the people can get help going forward,” Baccus said. “So that they can ask for help without being judged.”

The group holds monthly events spotlighting different themes, including assisting veterans or providing food for the community.

“It’s about bringing people together,” she said. “It’s well-needed in this area.”

Organizations share resources

Along with organizing the event, Baccus shared resources from the Red Cross, and gave out first-aid supplies and covid tests. She hoped to let people know about ways the Red Cross can help aside from in natural disasters.

“The covid tests are free, because with insurance now, they have to pay for them,” she said. “I get a lot of them, so that people can just take them and have them at home, so it doesn’t have to come out of pocket.”

Teresa Geska with the Center for Healthcare Solutions gave out pamphlets with info on how to reach the nonprofit’s contacts. She also attended the event to support Baccus and the Unity in the Community organization.

“Basically, if someone is looking for housing or food, we direct them. We are resource people,” she said. “If anybody needs us, they can give us a call.”

Representatives from the Blackburn Center domestic violence and sexual assault victim services agency handed out coloring pages about Juneteenth’s history to kids, along with flyers about how to find help if needed.

Bob Errett, who volunteers with the Blackburn Center, serves on the board of Unity in the Community and works with other local organizations, emphasized the importance of sharing information about housing resources.

“We help people that have these kinds of issues, but we also try to help people create healthy relationships in their lives,” said Kimberly Fox with the Blackburn Center. “We are spreading awareness and showing support for the Juneteenth celebrations, and trying to be good allies in the community for all of our community members.”