Black Joy Parade Through Downtown Joliet Celebrating Black Excellence Is Almost Here

JOLIET, IL — For the first time in more than a decade, the city of Joliet is reviving the Black Joy Parade and this weekend's event celebrating Black Excellence will take place at the beautiful new City Square.

The parade begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at the corner of North Chicago Street and Benton Street. Afterward, the fun will continue from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the City Square.

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According to the Joliet City Center Partnership, there will be two grand marshals for Saturday's Black Joy Parade: retired Joliet City Councilwoman Bettye Gavin and U.S. Olympics boxing hopeful Joseph Awinongya Jr.

In June 2025, Joliet Patch published a Facebook Live interview featuring Joliet's star boxer,18-year-old Joseph "Jojo" Awinonyga, as he met with Joliet Terry D'Arcy.

Awinonyga flew to Germany that July as he continued in his relentless pursuit of making the 2028 U.S. Olympics boxing team. After boxing in Germany, Jojo traveled to Canada in late September for more boxing competitions as he sets his sights on the U.S. Olympics.

"We are proud to present this year's grand marshals to be honored as our ceremonial leaders of our Black Joy Parade. Recognizing Mrs. Bettye Gavin and Mr. Joseph Awinongya Jr. for their contributions to our community and society," the promotion flier proclaims.

At the Aug. 4 City Council meeting, Joliet resident Larry Crawford stepped up to the podium to thank the city of Joliet for its hard work in helping revive the parade.

"Thank you very much for being mindful for the value of contributing to making those events, the Joliet Black Joy Parade as well as the Mexican Independence Day Parade," Crawford remarked. "This shirt is 15 years old and so I'm really excited that we're having the opportunity to rekindle the Joliet Black Joy Parade and all the cooperation we received from you, the Council, including Beth Beatty ... I'm excited. I'm on the side, watching this committee do what it does ... they've done some really hard work in gaining the resources to make this thing a success."

Crawford ended his comments by praising the city of Joliet and the Joliet Police Department for their help in making sure that the Black Joy Parade will be a success.

As for Gavin, she was one of the Joliet City Council's most outspoken elected officials during her terms in office.

Back in December 2019, Joliet Patch published a story on Gavin headlined, "Gavin To Joliet Taxpayers: 'I'll Be Your Huckleberry.'"

"It has been stated, I believe in the paper, that the mayor supported my campaign and that all of a sudden, I switched allegiances. Let me make one thing very clear: My vote is not up for sale," Gavin announced at that meeting. "It is not an allegiance to anybody. I take every memo that I have, I go through it and I make a decision on it myself. Nobody tells me how to vote. And I'm not in anybody's pocket. I just want to make that clear to everybody. What I decide to do is my decision. And, even though I'm linked with my good friends and my colleagues down there, that goes for them too.

"You know, you can group me in this group of Mudron 5 or however you want to say it. But that is not me. That is not me," Gavin repeated. "So, it was made perfectly clear that tax hikes are on my shoulders. Well, I'll be your Huckleberry. I'll vote aye."