BUFFALO, N.Y. — Born and raised in Western New York, 31-year-old Alphonso Walker is a graduate of both McKinley High School and Daemen University. He received his breakthrough role from Queen Latifah’s ‘The Equalizer’, and has since made appearances on hit crime shows like Blue Bloods, Law, and Order, & East New York.
This weekend he will be partaking in the annual Juneteenth festivities in Buffalo, a tradition Walker recalls celebrating with his loved ones since he was a child.
“Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom of cultural identity,” said Walker. "Juneteenth is where growing up in the city, we would all come together. We all sit at the corner of the streets and sit in lawn chairs, I remember when my grandmother and my dad and my mom and my cousins and we watched the parade go by."
After graduating college, Walker moved to New York City in hopes of furthering his acting career. While he has been able to support his acting aspirations there, it was not until leaving his hometown that he realized the uniqueness of Buffalo's long-standing dedication to Juneteenth.
"I didn't realize how formative Juneteenth was at home," said Walker. "There were so many people when I moved to New York City who didn't celebrate it. It wasn't until, like, maybe the last two or three years after George Floyd is when people started to pay attention to Juneteenth."
This year the city of Buffalo will host its 48th annual Juneteenth festival, having celebrated the holiday since 1976. This makes it one of few American cities that has remained committed to the commemoration for decades. Walker believes it is important the city maintain this tradition.
“I think being exposed to it as a kid, it wasn't until probably right now, until this moment of being an adult that I realized how powerful and how necessary it is,” said Walker. “And I'm so grateful that my city, Buffalo has exposed me to that. It's normal for us to go to the parade. It's normal for us to sit outside, watch them go by, and do our thing, to be outside dancing and singing and listening to music. That's not here in New York City, my hometown taught me that – 716 - and I'm very grateful for that.”
For more information about Buffalo Juneteenth festivities, click here.