- Video shows NAACP Juneteenth brunch at Noriega's
- On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation to declare all slaves freed in America, but it took more than two years on June 19th, 1865 or Juneteenth for the last slaves to learn of their freedom.
- The Bakersfield chapter of the NAACP held their Juneteenth celebration at Noriega's on Wednesday to celebrate freedom for the Black community.
African Americans across the nation celebrate Juneteenth to remember the day the last slaves were freed in America, and here in Bakersfield, the NAACP hosted a brunch at Noriega's to celebrate together.
It’s a day of celebration for black people across America, a time for music, dancing, and soul food to commemorate the day the last slaves in the south learned of their freedom.
“I feel like a little kid on Christmas Day because these gatherings haven’t been present even for me," Lynetta Jefferson, one of the attendees said.
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation to declare all slaves freed in America.
“So much has gone on through our people, and it wasn’t that long ago,” Patrick Jackson, the NAACP president, said.
But, it took more than two years on June 19th, 1865 or Juneteenth for the last slaves to learn of their freedom.
“It is our fourth of July," he said. "It is our ring of freedom as a community, as a black community of understanding that our freedom matters as well.”
Patrick Jackson the Bakersfield NAACP president emphasizes the importance of remembering the people who came before us because there’s still more work to do to achieve equality.
“I eat, sleep, and breathe this every single day,” Jackson said.
Lynnetta Jackson says she’s a local high school teacher and says the students of color rarely see representation to make them proud of their heritage.
“I feel it criminal when any child comes to high school whether it be white, black or brown and they say to me Mama J, you’re the first black teacher I’ve ever had," Jefferson said.
That’s why she comes to events like the NAACP’s Juneteenth brunch.
“Sometimes I see my students throughout the community, and so some of my presence is for them to even further validate them,” she added.
She says she’ll continue to show up for her students.
The NAACP will host a Juneteenth mixer on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Jazz Spot, and a Juneteenth celebration at Silver Creek Park from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
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