SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Juneteenth celebrations are underway in the Northern California region, starting Saturday.
The celebration at William Land Regional Park kicked off with a run/walk, followed by their 20th annual Juneteenth Parade.
Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood also held their third annual block party to honor the sacrifices of the past generations as Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.
“We love the kind of the community connection of it, the fact that it is in Oak Park. I think it just brings out some of our best vendors, Black owned vendors in Sacramento,” said Adrianne Hall, event producer.
The event hosted dozens of Black owned vendors, a kids zone full of games, jump houses, art projects and face painting. The event also hosted pop-up health clinics, a domino tournament and other games for adults to play too.
Attendee’s of the events say this is a time to reflect on the horrors of the past and history and do better in the future.
“Because the thought that really, Texas did not know for three years that slaves were free. That is a sad part of history,” said Deanne Kiger.
Attendees hope this celebration brings people together in a positive way through food, music and community fun.
“Many times you only hear the bad stories, but how many times do you see these positive experiences where we are business owners or we are people who have community agencies or resources and we're really coming together to uplift our youth and to uplift ourselves,” said Candace Walls, owner of Careful Heart Co.
While the community celebrates the work done, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says it is far from finished.
“We celebrate, we commemorate, but we use these occasions to recommit ourselves to a better Sacramento for everyone,” said Steinberg.
More Juneteenth events are scheduled this weekend. For a full list, click HERE.