DEI Spotlight
Celebrate Juneteenth in Altadena
Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s. But in recent years, and especially after the nationwide protests over police brutality and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other Black Americans, there is a renewed interest in the day that commemorates freedom.
What Is Juneteenth?
On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger's announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier, on January 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.
The holiday received its name by combining June and nineteen. The day is also sometimes called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day.
The original celebration became an annual one, and it grew in popularity over the years with the addition of descendants. The day was marked by praying and bringing families together. In some celebrations on this day, men and women who had been enslaved, and their descendants, made an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston.
On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became the eleventh holiday recognized by the federal government. The Senate on June 15 passed a bill to recognize the day, and the House approved the measure the next day. President Biden signed the bill into law the day after that, immediately giving federal employees the day off on this new holiday.
Today, cities hold larger events, like parades and festivals, with residents, local businesses, and dignitaries. Here in Altadena, we will be celebrating Juneteenth at the Altadena Main Library. We will honor the spirit of Ellen Garrison Clark, the daughter of slaves, an educator, and an activist, who died on December 21, 1892, in Altadena. She was laid to rest at the Altadena Mountain View Cemetery without a grave marker. She had no grave marker for 129 years.
Last year, the Altadena Historical Society and the community came together on Juneteenth, June 19, 2021, to lay a proper marker on her grave. This year, June 18, 2022, we celebrate the history of Black Americans who helped build the Altadena community and give a local student a scholarship in Ellen Garrison Clark's name. As Clark reminded us, "We must lift as we climb."
Please celebrate with us on June 18th at 2:00 p.m. at the Altadena Main Library. Juneteenth will also be commemorated by festivities at the Hollywood Bowl and elsewhere in the area.
—Veronica Jones, Events Committee
