28th Annual Juneteenth Held Online Saturday, June 20
June 16, 2020 11:28 AM
Join the City of Santa Monica, founder LaVerne Ross, and community members for an online Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 20th from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. to commemorate America’s second Independence Day, the day enslaved people in Texas were freed two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This year’s online event themed Moving Forward Together comes as our society considers the continued inequities Black Americans and Communities of Color have faced since that first Juneteenth.
The program will be emceed by community member Kathleen Benjamin and will include:
- Traditional opening drum call performed by Chazz Ross
- Welcome and introduction prepared by founder LaVerne Ross and read by Kathleen Benjamin
- A panel discussion introduced by Eula Fritz, with presenters Dr. Kim R. Harris, Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University and Captain Darrick Jacob of the Santa Monica Police Department
- Musical performance by Aaron Nigel Smith presented in collaboration with The Broad Stage
To attend the event on Saturday, simply visit https://bit.ly/juneteenthsm. If you join from a mobile device, follow these steps:
- Open this link: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/live-event/rtqzccdf
- Download the app if you don’t have it already.
- Enter event ID: rtqzccdf
The City has been celebrating Juneteenth since 1992 thanks to the leadership of LaVerne Ross whose family had been celebrating Juneteenth from their days in Texas before she and her family relocated to Santa Monica in the 1950s. Juneteenth 2020 is presented in collaboration with Human Services Division, Santa Monica Public Library and Juneteenth Celebration Committee.
For questions, email vap@smgov.net or call 310-458-8688.
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Media Contact
Constance Farrell
Communications & Public Information Manager
Constance.Farrell@santamonica.gov