Host Michelle Marques talks with Nancy Rogers, Evette Minor, and Celeste Austin about the 52nd Annual Sonoma County MLK Juneteenth Community Festival, coming up on Saturday, June 18th at Martin Luther King Park from 10am to 6pm. Juneteeth is now a federally recognized holiday, and Sonoma County's observation has been going strong for over half a decade.
What is Juneteenth? 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. 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.
All are welcome at Sonoma County's Juneteeth Community Festival - this year the event is dedicated to Sonoma County Activist Vince Harper, and it will start with a march in his memory from Julliard Park to Martin Luther King Park at 10am. The Festival includes lots of live music, delicious food for purchase, basketball games, dominoes, kids activities, health and fitness, spoken word, and some Zumba, plus so much more. Entry is free, but be sure to bring your wallet to support the great vendors on site and get some delicious food and drink.
Learn more about Community Action Partnership Sonoma County at capsonoma.org
