By 1993, the North San Diego NAA’s annual Juneteenth celebration at Oceanside Pier bandshell had become one of the largest celebrations of African-American culture and history in San Diego County, drawing an estimated 10,000 people from all over San Diego, as well as from Orange and Riverside counties.
From The San Diego Union-Tribune, Sunday, June 20, 1993:
Freedom (at last) celebrated
Event honors black culture, history
By Tim Mayer, Staff Writer
What’s Juneteenth, and why do some 10,000 people of all races crowd around the city pier for two days to eat, listen to music and play in the sun?
There are different answers, depending on whom you ask.
Juneteenth “means you get to go to the pier,” said 6-year-old Stephanie Williams of Vista. “They sell pretty good cookies, too.”
“It’s a celebration of freedom which should be instilled in our lives each and every day,” says Malcolm Gay, 23, of Oceanside.
“It’s a time to get together … meet new people,” says Rhita Adams of Bonsall. “Basically, just to experience a very positive day.”
The annual Juneteenth event — which began yesterday and continues today — has become one of the largest celebrations of African-American culture and history in San Diego County, drawing people from Orange and Riverside counties. The event has been sponsored for the past six years by the North County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
But what’s Juneteenth?
The answer, the story of an overlooked part of American history, is printed on the back of the blue T-shirt worn by Kip Killebrew, vice president of the North County NAA.
Juneteenth marks the anniversary of the freeing of the slaves in Texas following the Civil War, Killebrew explained.
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, but it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, (hence Juneteenth) that the slaves in Texas found out about it.
That was when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger led his forces into Galveston.
“Here this white general comes marching into town,” says Killebrew. “He sees all these slaves and said, ‘What’s going on?’ “
Granger had his own proclamation drawn up and he read it to the town, said Killebrew. Thus, the Juneteenth tradition — little recognized until only recent years — was born.
“It is the African-American equivalent of the Fourth of July,” Killebrew said. “It includes the same emotions, the ideas … the pursuit of freedom, the right of all men to be equal.
“The Emancipation Proclamation is a reconfirmation of just how important freedom is,” he said.
Killebrew and other organizers said the event started with a few hundred people in a local park, and now attracts thousands to a two-block area surrounding the pier.
Families of all races — black, Latino, white and Asian — were seen strolling around the booths, fingering African clothing and wood carvings from Tanzania and Kenya, leafing through books on the history and culture of Africa and African-Americans, and sampling food from around the world.
The mixture pleased organizers.
“The NAA wanted a day when they can bring all cultures together,” said Killebrew. “This is to celebrate cultural diversity in North County.”
“This is not only a black event,” says Reginald Owens, president of the North County NAA. “This is a community event. Freedom should be celebrated by everyone.
“We feel it is important to let people know what this is all about . . . where we came from,” he said.
The celebration, which includes rides for children, continues today with a live blues, jazz and reggae concert from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
ission is $3 a person or $5 a couple.
