This Juneteenth celebration is an all-day, community-wide event celebrating freedom, diversity and community. The event features local POC vendors, workshop facilitators, music and performances.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States, celebrating that day in history, June 19, 1865.
This holiday is very important and empowering for the Black and Brown communities all over the United States, but especially for Humboldt County, as this community makes up a very small percentage of the population and is often oppressed as a result.
Black history is a part of The United States’ history and is important to celebrate as we create safe spaces and inclusion for POC communities in Humboldt County. With the current racially fueled tragedies affecting POC communities it is important that we continue to celebrate and honor Black lives and Black joy.
Goals:
Create safe, inclusive spaces.
Celebrate and educate on the history of Juneteenth.
Unite the community with Black Joy while respecting social distancing rules.
Create safe spaces to host conversations around race, equity, white supremacy and systematic oppression.
Highlight POC businesses, community members, artists and educators in Humboldt County.
Fundraise for POC communities and businesses.
For more information and a schedule of events follow this link.
WHAT IS JUNETEENTH AND WHAT DOES IT CELEBRATE?
“Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
Later attempts to explain this two-and-a-half-year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these versions could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln’s authority over the rebellious states was in question “For whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.” Reference:http://juneteenth.com/history.html.
Unable to attend the event but want to donate? Follow this link.
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