LAUGHTER AND DANCING filled the Williamson Ranch Park at the fourth annual Antioch Juneteenth celebration this weekend.
On Friday evening, hundreds of Antioch residents, local artists, and advocacy organizations came to commemorate Union soldiers traveling to Texas on June 19, 1895, to let enslaved people there know that they were emancipated — two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Antioch is home to one of the most diverse cities in East Contra Costa County, where African Americans represent roughly 19% of the city’s demographics.
Families at the event enjoyed the free entertainment zone for kids, including the Hella Hoops basketball game, as well as swing rides, horse riding, and plenty of local food trucks.
The celebration was organized by the Antioch Parks and Recreation, and local advocacy groups like the NAACP East Contra Costa County and Rising Juntos were present.
Adults and couples danced to the funky music of Teena Marie and Frankie Beverly, performed by the tribute artists Monique Renee and Durti-Ryce Nation.
Antioch artist mononymously known as Kamilah sported a bright lilac cowboy outfit at the celebration. She was joined by her mom and sold belts in a handcrafted design she calls the Boho Belt. She said she was excited to be in the community at a celebration of Black freedom and expression.
Social worker-turned-artist Janneth Mitchum of Heartfelt Fine Art Greetings enjoyed the outpouring of Black residents in Antioch, she said. Mitchum sells acrylic prints and handmade cards decorated with lowriders, vibrant flowers, and Black women.
“I want my art to show who we are and what we can be,” said Mitchum.
She’s enjoyed seeing the park packed with families and residents of all ages show up to enjoy a celebration of Black lives and support local Black businesses.
Mitchum’s daughter, an elementary teacher at Hilltop Christian School, Tahira Neckles, came out to sell her self-made Juneteenth coloring book for kids.
Neckles created the coloring book initially for her students last year as a way for younger generations to learn about the Emancipation Proclamation in an engaging way.
“We are here to celebrate love and beauty in a world that’s meant to break us,” she said.
