Juneteenth 2021: How Santa Monica Marks The End Of Slavery

SANTA MONICA, CA — As efforts to make Juneteenth a national holiday continue, people in Santa Monica are having a day of celebrations of their own. Juneteenth, held annually on June 19, celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. and the date many slaves in Texas finally found out they were free.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the country, according to Juneteenth.com. It is “a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings.” In recent years, Juneteenth “commemorates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.”

In Santa Monica, the City of Santa Monica and Juneteenth Celebration Committee will present the 29th Annual Juneteenth Celebration online from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Register to join the online event.

This event will be followed by Wade In the Water: A Tiny Film Fest at Historic Belmar Park from 8 to 10 p.m. This in-person outdoor screening of short films will celebrate Black culture and its connection to water. The screening will feature the premiere of BELONGING, a Belmar History + Art site-specific dance film honoring African Americans in Santa Monica. The event includes food trucks and music by DJ Moni Vargas. Participants are also encouraged to explore the historic panels and public sculpture, “A Resurrection in Four Stanzas” along the park’s walking path.

The panels and public art, along with the film, BELONGING, were developed as part of the Belmar History + Art project, which commemorates the home of a thriving African American community in the 1950s and honors the legacy of the historic Belmar neighborhood’s contributions to Santa Monica life.

Blackout at the Inkwell at Tower 20 Saturday at 9 a.m. will be an informal, relaxing day on the sand. Join to talk, laugh, catch some waves and celebrate fellowship. Surf Bus will also provide surfing lessons starting at 10:30 a.m. The event is hosted by Black Surfers Collective.

Juneteenth is held on June 19 because that was the date in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were free. Many of the slaves in Texas had not known of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had actually given them freedom more than two years earlier.

Granger read “General Order No. 3,” which stated, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves,” according to the city of Galveston, which has an historical marker for its connection to the holiday.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor and African American historian, wrote in The Root magazine that Juneteenth is “an occasion for gathering lost family members, measuring progress against freedom and inculcating rising generations with the values of self-importance and racial uplift.”

Most states have Juneteenth listed as an official holiday, although it is not a national holiday. In 1980, Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a holiday. In the time since, 45 other states have decided to officially recognize the day, according to The New York Times.

Juneteenth celebrations have occurred in most states, according to Juneteenth.com. A number of cities and towns held events and parades for the 150th anniversary in 2015.

Also On Patch: What Is Juneteenth? 5 Things To Know About The Holiday That Marks The End Of Slavery

More and more places, such as Anne Arundel County, Maryland, are recognizing Juneteenth as an official holiday. County offices will be closed on Friday, June 18, in observance of the Saturday holiday this year, and Annapolis will host Maryland’s first Juneteenth festival with a parade through the state capital.

"Celebrating Juneteenth as an official county holiday demonstrates our county's true commitment to freedom and equality — for all," Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement. "The growing national push for observance of Juneteenth is an important step as we move forward toward justice for this community, in light of centuries of racism, discrimination, and inequity."

Some major American brands — Twitter, Nike and the National Football League, included — have made Juneteenth a paid company holiday.

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