WITH A COOKOUT MADE by professional local chefs, DJs, and thousands of people relaxing in the summer sun, the Oakland Museum of California hopes to foster community this Juneteenth.
This Thursday, the sold-out “Hella Juneteenth” festival kicked off with over 3,000 attendees arriving at the OMCA at noon ready to kick off the holiday.
Ryan Royster is the director of experience with Hella Creative, the organizers behind the planning of Hella Juneteenth. When asked about how the festival was formed, Royster said, “Post–George Floyd and kind of the racial reckoning that was happening that year, a group of us came together of Bay Area creatives and we wanted to do something.”
For Royster, he believes Juneteenth should be held in the same regard as the other federal holidays.
“We think this is the most important of American holidays. This is a celebration of freedom. And if you are in tuned with and value the American values, the American spirit, what is not to celebrate about Juneteenth?”
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 after President Joe Biden signed it into law. However, it was celebrated by Black Americans for many years before then. The day celebrates the end of slavery in the United States when on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers informed enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas of their freedom at the conclusion of the Civil War.
Attendees Margaret “Miss Honey” Ellis and her granddaughter Keliss Bradley reflected on the importance of history, especially in a time they believe people are targeting the histories of people of color.
Ellis says, “People didn’t know about Black history, Juneteenth, they didn’t know that. You know we were more than slaves. So this is the opportunity other people get to learn more about us, especially now in this this climate when they’re throwing books away.”
When talking about the importance of education this Juneteenth, Bradley says, “There are so many other minorities that really don’t know the Black experience, and we should all come together and be aware of each other’s experience to make this place like a better place for all of us, because, in all actuality, all we have is each other.”
OCMA senior director of marketing communications and visitor experience L. Autumn King was excited to welcome thousands of people into the gardens and amphitheater of the museum.
She said, “We are here to celebrate Black joy, Black resilience, Black freedom. Many years ago, many Black folks would celebrate quietly at church, in their homes with other people, because it wasn’t safe. And now we can scream, we can shout.”
King emphasized that Juneteenth is not a “Black” holiday, but one in which all communities across the country can participate in.
“It’s not just Black culture, it’s American culture. That doesn’t mean that we can’t all celebrate together. It doesn’t mean that we can’t pick up other each other’s groups, and say, I celebrate you,” says King.
Celebrating Black and Afro-Latino roots
As music blasted in the amphitheater and attendees gathered on the grass to partake in the partylike atmosphere, mother and daughter Yeni Lucero and Amaya Lucero-Akintunde went around greeting other attendees they have come to consider family.
Amaya says her identity as an Afro-Latina has had challenges in the past, but she loves the ability to partake in the traditions of her communities.
She says, “There’s not many Afro Latinos that I just see around. And to come here and feel empowered by that is amazing. I get to embrace it here in Oakland, like this is my community.”
Yeni says she is proud of her daughter because, “For a long time, Latinos versus Black folks has always been a thing of internalized racism and colorism. It gets deflected into our Black communities. So to see my daughter to kind of break down those grounds of colonial mentality, it’s not going to be comfortable, but I appreciate she represents who she is and has a great community here.”
The teams at the OMCA and Hella Creative are excited the event has received a lot of community support and hope more like it will come in the future.
King says, “I want there to be competing Juneteenth events that show that we’re making a mark, that show that people are taking the holiday seriously, and that people are taking joy and resilience and celebration seriously.”