LATHROP, Calif. — During the Lathrop City Council board meeting last week, dozens of residents expressed concerns over the city debating if a permit should be issued for a Juneteenth celebration at the Generations Center and Park on Spartan Way.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S.
Michael Darvy is the president of Lathrop Black Society. He says the city "stalled" in allowing the organization to rent the center to host a public Juneteenth event.
“The city council meeting exposed some challenges,” said Darvy. “We had to go before the board, which is unfortunate. It should’ve been as simple as issuing us a permit, which is the case for other non-BIPOC organizations. But we had to press our way, which is nothing new for us.”
During the council meeting, city officials expressed concerns over racist, hate groups, like the KKK, responding to the event. Some council members did not know Juneteenth existed.
If a group wants to rent a city park or space, an application must be submitted, along with a fee payment - not a meeting before the board, according to Council Member Minnie Diallo, who’s also a member of the Lathrop Black Society.
Diallo expressed disappointment in the board’s response to vote on the matter, stating a vote is not warranted based on due process and standard procedure.
“I could not believe this was happening in 2023,” said Diallo. "I was just blown away that this had to come before council. That type of stuff is what hurts me to my core. There should've been no deviation from what we originally do."
In the end, the city officially granted Lathrop Black Society a permit to host a public Juneteenth event at the center. The event will be held on June 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“There's no debate about the Fourth of July,” Darvy said. “And, Juneteenth is just another one of those.”