BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Juneteenth highlights African-American freedom in the United States and the first official proclamation of freedom for enslaved people, signed by Major General Gordon Granger in Texas on June 19, 1865.
At the MLK Community Center in Bakersfield, Black organizations came together to bring a handful of Juneteenth events to the community.
Community activists like Javon Dangerfield say Juneteenth is a time to provide a greater understanding of the holiday and its meaning to the communities around us.
"Juneteenth means so much to us. As I think about it, we've got this freedom, but as we continue to progress and move, we've kind of seen various ways in which we were free," said Dangerfield. "For me, Juneteenth represents what we will do with the freedom we were given and how we will continue to express our freedom to the fullest maximum aptitude that we possibly can."
Dangerfield goes on to say that this is a time for the Black community to push the narrative of freedom forward for future generations, adding that while Juneteenth is predominantly celebrated among the Black community, he believes it is important that it be celebrated by everyone.
"This is where you'll start to see influence happen. This is where you'll start to see movements happen, when we're putting all of our monies and all of our ideas and all of our visions and creativities in the same batch," said Dangerfield. "The day is dead for us to do things apart and try to be the king of the castle. This is a palace that we all must share. This is our city and we have to do it."
Dangerfield's thoughts are shared by fellow community activist Danesha Wallace, who says she believes Juneteenth is a reminder of the phrase: You don't know where you're going unless you know where you came from.
"Our ancestors weren't allowed to read. They were given scraps. Whenever they empowered themselves in some form it was taken from them. I think that it is so important to educate yourself, and that way you can educate the youth, and that way you can keep them grounded. That way they can know their history, their ancestry, so that they're proud and that they have invested in their own community," said Wallace.
Dangerfield says he finds unification to be important when acknowledging holidays like Juneteenth that represent not only collectiveness but the understanding of one's actual past.
"We've transferred our struggles into something that our next generation can benefit from. You can come in the door, be white, Black, Mexican, it does not matter, because our joy was transferred from hate and you still couldn't take us out," said Dangerfield.
Wallace says one of the things that comes to her mind when she thinks of the celebration of Juneteenth is the phrase 'Black joy.'
"Black joy is a celebration in safety. The music, the food, having conversations without saying something, and understanding the body language," said Wallace. "The mamas of the community. Where you know that you're safe. You know you can laugh loud. You know you can joke loud."
Ahead of the holiday weekend, the Juneteenth Mixer kicks it off on the evening of Friday, June 16. Bianca Haynes, event coordinator for the NAACP Bakersfield, says this first event focuses on music and African style.
"We have a live band going to be there performing Black art. The attire is African dress because we want to connect to our culture and make sure that we stay connected to who we are," said Haynes.
The Juneteenth Kickoff Mixer will be held at the Jazz & Art Spot located at 1410 Wible Road starting at 7:30 pm.
Haynes also encourages everyone to come out to Silver Creek Park on Harris Road from 1:00 to 7:00 pm for the Juneteenth Festival, a celebration for all friends and family on Saturday, June 17.
"We don't need much, we just need to be together. That's what Saturday is going to be about," said Haynes. "You can come out there, eat good, walk around, frequent the vendors. There's going to be entertainers there, bands there, DJs there. When we gather in these spaces, it is a magical time."
To learn more about Juneteenth activities and events in Bakersfield, follow NAACP Bakersfield on Facebook.
