BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ahead of Juneteenth on Saturday, Roswell Park Cancer Institute staff and patients gathered to celebrate on Thursday, the same day President Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.


What You Need To Know

  • Roswell Park staff and patients celebrated Juneteenth on Thursday, two days ahead of the national holiday

  • The celebration coincided with President Biden signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday

  • Members of AAREN, the African American Roswell Employee Network, hosted the event and shared the significance of Juneteenth to the community

  • The celebration featured the raising of the Juneteenth Flag and performances from the African American Cultural Center

As home to one of the nation’s largest and longest running Juneteenth festivals each year, Buffalo natives within the Roswell Park community’s AAREN Group, or African American Roswell Employee Network, were elated to see this day finally come.

“I’m just so excited because I grew up and I knew what the Juneteenth was," said Shannon Waddell, Roswell Park tobacco control specialist and emcee for the Juneteenth celebration. "I grew up in a neighborhood where the parade passed right past my house back in the day when it was on Jefferson Avenue, so I am so excited. And what I am more excited about is that so many other people are now getting involved with it.”

The celebration drew a diverse crowd of participants and speakers, including Roswell Park President and CEO Candace Johnson. One of the highlights was the raising of the Juneteenth Flag, a banner with a bursting star representing a new beginning for former slaves. The celebration was also a significant show of solidarity for the cancer care institute, as African Americans have the highest death rates and shortest survival for most cancers.

“Our whole focus is the importance of, cancer doesn’t discriminate; we don’t either," said David Scott, director of the Roswell Park Office of Diversity and Inclusion. "It’s important for us to embrace everyone, to let everyone know that they’re welcome here. Our goal is to make sure people know who Roswell Park is before they need us. Hopefully they won’t need us, and that’s where our education comes in to help get rid of heath disparities so if people do need us, they would know that they would be welcomed here with open arms.”

As the nation continues to move forward with the monumental Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the Roswell Park community looks to do the same.

“To have Roswell, the first year that the Juneteenth is recognized annually, to allow the AAREN Group here at Roswell to put on this amazing celebration," Waddell says, "to me, that speaks volumes to say, ‘we’re in it with you and we’re ready to move forward to help make that transition to equality for all.’”

Scott said that as a proud African American and member of the Roswell Park community, he is optimistic about the future after Thursday's celebration.

“I’m celebrating with pride this year, especially knowing that it is now a national holiday,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier in the direction that we’re going, as an organization and hopefully as a country.”