ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Two community groups celebrated Black culture this month in the lead-up to Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.

Organizers said they started the celebrations to build community and share their personal love for the holiday with the rest of Elk Grove.

The third annual Elk Grove/Laguna Juneteenth celebration on June 9 was a partnership between the city of Elk Grove and housing advocacy nonprofit Lift Up Love Always (LULA).

The event brought together Black-owned businesses and eateries at District56 and featured several musical acts throughout the day.

Asked why he started the event, Rashid Sidqe, president and CEO of LULA, said that he hails from Houston, not far from Galveston, Texas, the site of actions commemorated on the holiday.

While, on paper, President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation ended Confederate slavery in 1863, in practice many people remained enslaved until much later. Juneteenth recalls June 19, 1865, when a Union general landed at Galveston and enforced abolition in Texas, 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect and a month after the formal end of the Civil War.

Juneteenth, a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

“I really was raised celebrating Juneteenth,” Sidqe said, “so I’ve never known anything different, and so now that it’s become a federal holiday, three years ago, now it’s become more acceptable to get the support of the local government.”

Sidqe presented the Freedom Award to local Black officials and business owners for their service to the community:

Elk Grove Vice-Mayor Rod Brewer, Elk Grove Police Chief Bobby Davis and Black Youth Leadership Project President Lorren Pryor-Trowel, as well as DreamGirls Hair Salon owner Sharie Wilson, who organized another Juneteenth event on June 15.

Brewer said his “relatives who came out here from Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma know the meaning of value of knowing what freedom is and what freedom is all about, especially when that freedom has been denied for two years.”

Cosumnes Community Services District Supervisor Angela Spease read a proclamation in honor of Juneteenth.

Elk Grove City Council also recognized the holiday at its June 12 meeting, during which it honored city employee Femi Omotesho. Omotesho started volunteering with the police department in 2013, before being hired by the city. She completes special projects for the city manager’s office, oversees the Elk Grove Youth Commission, and is “integral” in the city’s efforts for diversity, equity and inclusion.

“This day (Juneteenth) symbolizes freedom, resilience and the enduring spirit of the African American community. Thank you for this meaningful gesture,” Omotesho said.

On June 15 came Elk Grove’s second Juneteenth celebration, organized by Wilson.

Called the Freedom Day Party, the festival attracted an estimated 1,000 people to Old Town Plaza, offering a wide range of entertainers, a fashion show and a hair and barber competition. Wiltown Riders, a Black cowboy group from Wilton, gave free horseback rides and hosted a petting zoo.

Wilson told the Citizen why she decided to organize the event for the first time this year.

“Me and my husband, we’ve been talking about doing something for Juneteenth for the last couple years. … But we knew that our backyard just wasn’t big enough to really do it how we wanted to do it,” Wilson said. A recent visit to Tulsa, Oklahoma, inspired them to showcase “Black excellence.”

“We said, ‘We need to do something in Elk Grove because we have so many African Americans that are just striving, that are pioneering so many different agendas out here and making strides,’” Wilson said.

The event recognized Black “elders” over 90 years old, with each honoree receiving a rocking chair and a notebook engraved with their name.

“As long as they’re here, they can sit in that chair and share their story,” Wilson said. “They can share our stories and we can write that down and we’ll never forget the journey that they went through.”

Wilson’s husband, Marcell Wilson, said it is important to educate on the meaning of Juneteenth.

“It’s like liberation and freedom for the African American people today,” Marcell Wilson said, adding that the holiday is a chance to showcase Black people’s achievements.

“We’re just trying to rejuvenate the youth and our peers to understand that and then just embrace it to embody it,” Marcell Wilson said.

Sharie Wilson said she plans to bring the event back next year. The Wilsons funded the inaugural party mainly out of their own pockets, with some sponsorships. Wilson hopes to get support from the city of Elk Grove in 2025.

In addition, DreamGirls’ associated nonprofit, Dreams Unlimited, is fundraising for next year. To donate, visit dreamsunlimited.info.

“We’re looking forward to meeting new people and building a bigger community,” Marcell Wilson said.