Juneteenth event in Seaside to feature speakers Mistah F.A.B., Danny Glover
SEASIDE – An event to mark Juneteenth Independence Day, the federally observed holiday also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, will be celebrated this weekend with festivities in Seaside.
“Juneteenth has always been an important event in Monterey County, especially in Seaside,” said Monterey County Black Caucus Founder and Director Rosalyn Green.
Green’s organization will present the fifth-annual Juneteenth Monterey County event at Laguna Grande Park this Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., showcasing local black businesses, food vendors, speakers, and activities for the whole family.
The headliner for this year’s event is artist, motivational speaker and comedian Mistah F.A.B., from Oakland. F.A.B. is a community activist who the city of Oakland recognized in 2014 with his own day lauding his work as a community organizer and a positive change-maker.
In addition to the accomplished rapper and songwriter, Hollywood icon, actor, producer and political activist Danny Glover will be on hand to celebrate along with the community. During his 45-year acting career, in movies such as “Lethal Weapon,” and “The Color Purple,” Mr. Glover has received numerous accolades including the NAACP’s President’s Award as well as nominations for five Emmy awards and four Grammy awards. In 2021, Glover received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The June 19 anniversary is celebrated in reference to the 1865 date which saw Union troops informing the remaining enslaved people in Texas that they were emancipated. It was more than two years after President Lincoln legally freed the enslaved people with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
For about 150 years, Juneteenth has been celebrated as America’s second Independence Day by Black communities, and after becoming a federal holiday in 2021, has become more universally recognized.
Green said she remembers attending jubilant Juneteenth celebrations as a young girl in Seaside. The Black Caucus re-imagined and revitalized Juneteenth in the wake of the George Floyd murder at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020.
Juneteenth, 25 days after Floyd’s death, was a way to regain the sense of belonging, unity and cohesiveness that Green said she had experienced as a young girl in the city of Seaside with its large black community.
“It brought a sense of peace and joy to our community by celebrating the end of slavery,” said Green.
The organizers of the Juneteenth Monterey County event welcome everyone to the free celebration. Green describes it as an intergenerational and intercommunal celebration where she hopes people will come away with a sense of the joy and belonging in the community while seeing the contributions Blacks make through the vendors, entertainers and information booths.
The recipients of this year’s Mr. and Mrs. Juneteenth award are Ron Johnson and Annalisa Mitchell, who will be celebrated for their contributions to the community. The organizers say that honoring these positive individuals is an opportunity to give thanks to those who make such a difference to the fabric of the Central Coast.
During the Juneteenth celebration, Green hopes people will be sure to visit the Dinosaur Adventure Kids Zone, where there will be music, jump houses, a game truck, face painting, gymnastics, outdoor games, a mechanical bull, and much more.
Green said the Juneteenth celebration is not only for the Black community but a way for others to see, and share in Black culture and experience.
“Everyone is welcome to come out,” she said.
