FOLSOM, Calif. — As the United States marks Juneteenth’s second year as a federal holiday, families celebrated the weekend by enjoying the sun on the newly renamed Black Miners Bar.
The holiday, which honors the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States in 1865, falls days after a historical reckoning over the name of the riverside recreation area.
On Friday, the California State Park and Recreation Commission voted to retire the divisive name, "Negro Bar," a source of division and contention for decades.
"I totally understand why some people could be offended by that," said Reggie Purnell, who was sunbathing on the river on Saturday. Though he is African American, he said he was not personally offended by the old name, but said Black Miners Bar had a good ring to it.
Black Miners Bar is a temporary name selected by the commission while a new name is chosen.
Like many others on the river bank, the Purnells were not aware that the recreation area was named for the black miners who once panned the area for gold as early as 1848.
"I think it’s more descriptive of the gold rush, and black participation in that gold rush," Juneteenth USA Organizer Tom Stratton said of the new name. "So, yes, in some ways I think it’s a step in the right direction."
Local park staff at the recreation area got word of the commission's vote and quickly removed all traces of the old name. Some of the people celebrating said they would like to see a greater emphasis on the area's history in the future.
"A broader interpretation, not so much focused on the name of the place, but really getting some more context to go along with that history is going to be welcome," Stratton said.
