The second annual Liberian Independence Day Parade returned Sunday in Brooklyn Park, drawing thousands to what has become one of Minnesota’s largest African cultural celebrations. The event, which debuted last year in neighboring Brooklyn Center, is intended to become an annual celebration of Liberia’s independence.
Crowds braved triple-digit heat to gather for the 11 a.m. parade, but the soaring temperatures did little to dampen the festive atmosphere.
Leading the procession was a Ford F-150 draped with the Liberian flag and an advertisement for a local Liberian grocery store. Behind it, DJ Chinho blasted music from a trailer, including Skrewfaze’s “Liberia Independence Day,” which has become the unofficial anthem of the celebration. The music’s bass echoed along West Broadway as passing motorists rolled down their windows, danced behind the wheel and cheered marchers making their way through Brooklyn Park.
Marchers wore blue, red and white shirts inspired by the Liberian flag, whose single white star distinguishes it from the American flag. Liberia declared its independence on July 26, 1847, becoming Africa’s first modern republic after being established as a settlement for formerly enslaved and free Black Americans.
The parade began near the intersection of 84th Avenue and West Broadway before briefly turning onto West Broadway. Organizers soon rushed through the procession warning marchers they did not have a permit to remain on the busy roadway. The parade instead re-entered the North Hennepin Community College campus via College Parkway, where festivities continued without interruption.
The procession also reflected the growing political influence of Minnesota’s Liberian community. Brooklyn Park City Council candidate Bernice Cooper and state Senate candidate Nehemiah Garley rode in the parade alongside Rep. Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley and Brooklyn Park Mayor Hollies Winston, each representing milestones in the growing political representation of African immigrant communities.
By early afternoon, attendance had swelled into the thousands, filling North Hennepin Community College’s parking lots and sending vehicles onto West Broadway, 85th Avenue and nearby side streets.
What began last summer in Brooklyn Center has evolved into one of Minnesota’s largest African cultural celebrations, drawing crowds large enough to test parking capacity, traffic management and special event planning. The long lines of parked vehicles stretching along West Broadway reflected both the scale of the gathering and the organizational effort now required to stage it.
Food vendors did brisk business selling Liberian favorites including dumboy, cassava leaves and jollof rice, while cold drinks became one of the day’s hottest commodities.
Among those enjoying the festivities was Brooklyn Park resident Gloria Kennedy, who danced with her 6-year-old son Jaydel in front of the main stage.
Recognizing Mshale’s press badge, Kennedy laughed as she recalled missing last year’s inaugural celebration.
“You know last year I missed the event because I didn’t know it was happening,” she said. “I saw it on your Facebook page and I said, by the grace of God, I am not missing it next year.”
The celebration was the largest Liberian community event Mshale has covered in Minnesota, surpassing even a major Liberian soccer exhibition at the National Sports Center more than two decades ago. Throughout the week leading up to the event, community elders praised the younger generation for organizing a celebration of this scale outside the umbrella of the long-established Organization of Liberians in Minnesota.
On parade day, one of the co-founders of We Are Liberian, Marie Dweh, could be seen riding a golf cart around the grounds, coordinating volunteers and making sure the celebration stayed on schedule.
While organizers initially said the event moved from Brooklyn Center to Brooklyn Park to accommodate a larger crowd, Dweh later told Mshale the decision was also influenced by what she described as increasingly difficult permitting requirements in Brooklyn Center.
Dweh said organizers had hoped to return there but ultimately concluded they could not meet the city’s permitting and public safety requirements. Among them, she said, was a request for approximately 20 police officers assigned to the event, with the nonprofit responsible for the associated overtime costs.
“As a small nonprofit that is just not possible,” Dweh said. “Our event last year was very peaceful and I didn’t want our family-friendly event overpoliced because I don’t think our people would have liked that.”
In a statement to Mshale, Brooklyn Center said city staff began meeting with representatives of We Are Liberian in the fall of 2025 to discuss the proposed event and review the city’s special event permitting process. The city said organizers were granted additional time to complete their application, but the proposal ultimately did not meet the required permitting timeline.
Brooklyn Center said staffing requirements for special events are based on anticipated attendance, traffic management, the event route and overall public safety needs. The city added that organizers may be responsible for staffing costs when events require personnel beyond normal staffing levels.
“Brooklyn Center values community events that celebrate the city’s diverse cultures and traditions,” Communications Manager Joe Cardoza said in the statement. “The city welcomes future conversations with event organizers should they wish to host events in Brooklyn Center.”
Dweh said organizers then approached neighboring Brooklyn Park, where city officials welcomed the event but explained there was not enough time to obtain a full road-closure permit for this year’s parade. She said Brooklyn Park has already committed to working with We Are Liberian on next year’s celebration, including securing the permits needed to close West Broadway.
“I am hoping they come through for our community,” Dweh said.
The celebration’s growth was reflected not only in attendance but also in its impact beyond the festival grounds.
Several people in Minnesota’s Liberian community told Mshale that healthcare facilities experienced unusually high call-ins Sunday as many workers took time off to attend Independence Day celebrations. Within Minnesota’s Liberian community, the phenomenon has become informally known as “Liberian Weekend,” when many workers coordinate time off to attend major community events. This year’s Independence Day, however, fell outside the traditional weekend off when many had already planned their work schedules.
According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Office of New Americans, more than 30% of the state’s nursing assistants and home health aides—workers who care for elderly Minnesotans and people recovering from illness or injury at home—are foreign-born. After Somalis, Ethiopians and Kenyans, Liberians are the next-largest African immigrant community in Minnesota.
Bernice Cooper said the event’s economic impact was also visible throughout the surrounding area.
“The stores in the surrounding area were running out of water and all manner of drinks and had to start limiting the amount each person could buy so they would have enough for everyone, as did the restaurants,” she said.
“And we are just getting started. This is only the second year. I’ve already volunteered to help the young people organizing it by joining the cleanup crew next year.”
Suah Williams, was born and raised in Liberia and lives in Dublin, Ireland. He flew in for the weekend to be with his fiancée Sheya Zarzar who lives in Brooklyn Park and the two planned to join other Liberians in the festivities.
“I had to bring him out here,” Zarzar a finance professional said, as the two of them took in the music. “There is no better place to be.”
As the parade gave way to the main stage performances, hundreds more streamed onto the grounds, reinforcing Zarzar’s belief that there was “no better place to be.” By the time Mshale left at about 5 p.m., the celebration was still growing and would continue into the evening.
The couple said they were most looking forward to celebrating Liberia together through the parade and the music that filled the festival grounds.
“I like it,” Williams said, taking in the music and shouts from the crowd. “I hope to move here soon.”
Author
About Tom Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the board of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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