Mayor Caroline Torosis said the city expanded its Juneteenth programming this year in an effort to attract broader participation.
Santa Monica will mark Juneteenth with two public events on June 19 and 20, including a new wellness-focused gathering and the city’s 34th annual Juneteenth celebration, city officials announced Wednesday.
The new Juneteenth Gathering is scheduled for June 19 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Christine Emerson Reed Park and the Miles Memorial Playhouse. Organized by the city’s Recreation & Arts Department in partnership with Go As If Productions and producer Christy Roberts Berkowitz, the event will include live music, DJ performances, an art workshop, sound immersion activities and a film screening.
The screening will feature “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions,” a film project by artist and filmmaker Kahlil Joseph that explores themes related to the Black diaspora and draws on the intellectual legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois.
The following day, Santa Monica will host its 34th Annual Juneteenth Celebration from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park. This year’s theme is “A Legacy of Liberation: Honoring our Resistance and Resilience.”
Mayor Caroline Torosis said the city expanded its Juneteenth programming this year in an effort to attract broader participation.
“By expanding our Juneteenth offerings, we hope to welcome even more people to celebrate in Santa Monica and experience the rich music, art, and cultural opportunities,” Torosis said in a statement.
According to the city, Santa Monica began funding Juneteenth events decades before the holiday was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021. The annual celebration at Virginia Avenue Park was founded by community activist LaVerne Ross, who remains involved with the organizing committee.
The festival will include musical performances, community resource booths, food vendors, art activities and workshops. Scheduled performers include ADAAWE, the Kobie Dozier Quintet, Nichelle Monroe with Butterfly and The Gumbo Brothers.
An interactive drum workshop will be led by Project KnuckleHead. Organizers said the event will also feature local Black-owned businesses and vendors and activities highlighting the history of Belmar, a historically Black neighborhood in Santa Monica that was displaced in the 1950s through urban renewal projects.
The Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council is scheduled to deliver an invocation and recognize community members during the celebration.
Kathleen Benjamin, president of the council, said the invocation would focus on themes of history, resilience and faith.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people of their freedom more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Juneteenth Gathering will take place June 19 at Christine Emerson Reed Park, 1133 Seventh St. The annual Juneteenth Celebration will be held June 20 at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave.
