Local teenage activists plan Juneteenth celebrations

The Juneteenth holiday is recognized in California and most states across the country tomorrow, June 19. The day commemorates the emancipation of the last remaining African American slaves in the United States, which came two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Local teenage activists are planning a pair of barbecues to celebrate the holiday in Palm Springs.

“It’s on a personal level, being able to celebrate our freedom and being able to cherish what my ancestors have done for us to be here today,” said Areli Galvez, one of the organizers.

One is on Saturday evening at Frances Stevens Park and the other, Friday afternoon at the Desert Highland Unity Center. Both sets of organizers come from the group “Young Justice Advocates.” That group also planned the “Enough is Enough” rally at Ruth Hardy Park on June 6th. 

“I believe that the freeing of the slaves was a monumental event in this country and injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere which is why it should be celebrated,” said Hina Malik, another organizer.

“A couple years ago, I didn’t even know about this holiday, this day, you don’t learn it in school and I’m so happy that people are talking about it and spreading it so we can actually celebrate the history of our nation," said Amor Toland, the organizer of the other barbecue. 

USC professor Alaina Morgan, who teaches African American history, says the very root of Juneteenth is especially prevalent in the current climate. 

“It brings up these questions of what freedom actually is and how you attain it, and those conversations are happening as well now, right, because what you see is that a simple legal declaration or an executive order does not equality-make,” said Morgan. 

She hopes the holiday will soon be recognized on a federal level, and says events like these young people have planned are an important step toward that. 

“Juneteenth is so critically important. We don’t have a celebration of the emancipation of African Americans on the calendar and that’s really sad, I think,” she said. 

“We’re all fighting for the same thing, we’re fighting for equality, we’re fighting for human rights and you don’t have to be black to support this,” said Jazlina Morgan, an organizer of Saturday's barbecue. 

Both groups say the barbecues are family-friendly with food and activities. They plan to follow social distancing and coronavirus safety guidelines. Saturday’s event at the park will feature a number of black-owned local businesses and guest speakers. You can find the full list of businesses below.