San Diego County becomes only local government to observe Juneteenth

The Juneteenth flag flew over the San Diego County Administration Center Friday, as all county facilities and offices prepared to close Monday in celebration of the holiday marking the end of slavery.

Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, marks the emancipation of enslaved Black people in Texas, the westernmost state in the Confederacy. The Emancipation Proclamation liberated enslaved people in Confederate states in 1863, but that edict wasn’t enforced in Texas until two and a half years later. Since then, Black Americans have honored Juneteenth as a celebration of Black culture and community.

Last June, President Joe Biden signed a law declaring Juneteenth a national holiday and this year San Diego County led the region in celebrating the event with a ceremony and day of observance.

On Monday, the day following the official holiday, all San Diego County offices, family resource centers, libraries and animal shelters will be closed. City halls throughout the region will remain open Monday, making the county the only local government agency to observe the holiday.

On Friday, county officials and community leaders raised the Juneteenth flag alongside the American and California flags at the county center.

“Black people have celebrated Juneteenth for years,” said Vanessa Green, a manager with the county’s office of Office of Equity and Racial Justice. “It’s to honor African Americans in the face of continued gender and racial inequity.”

Kicking off the ceremony, Mother Dorothy Williams of Mt. Zion Baptist Church performed the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” as members of the audience sang along.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher said the holiday is both a celebration of Black accomplishments and a promise to redress continued injustice. He pointed to disparate health outcomes, life expectancy and economic status between Black and White Americans as evidence of lingering racial divides.

“We celebrate this as an acknowledgement of the original sin of the founding of our country, but reflect on the work that needs to be done,” Fletcher said.

He said the county has taken steps to combat racial injustice through programs to resolve homelessness, reform criminal justice procedures and revamp systems for treating mental illness, all considering the disproportionate impact of those problems on Black communities. The Juneteenth celebration isn’t a solution in itself, but a recognition of the effort needed to achieve racial justice, he said.

“The simple act of raising a flag does not improve someone’s life, but it matters,” he said.

The holiday gained visibility following nationwide protests against the police killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020. Its adoption as a formal holiday comes as the county reckons with the legacy of slavery and persistent racism.

The Cooper Family Foundation has organized a Juneteenth celebration for more than 60 years, during which it expanded from a backyard bash to a public festival, family members said. During those decades, it has provided “color, culture and consciousness,” said Roosevelt Williams III, CEO of the organization Young, Black, & N’ Business.

Sidney Cooper Jr. said his father founded the event to celebrate what he considered Black Independence Day.

“My father said we should celebrate Juneteenth like we celebrate Fourth of July,” Cooper said.

Visitors can get one of 1,500 free bag lunches at the festival, he said. More than 100 Black-owned businesses will host booths, and the 70’s R&B and funk band Con Funk Shun will headline the event. Children can earn entry to the “Fun Zone” by learning a fact about emancipation in the history area, Cooper said, adding that education plays a key role in the event.

“There’s a road ahead because we live in a divided society,” he said. “I think the youth are more inclusive than we are. I think we need to look to the youth to move us forward.”

The Juneteenth Healing the Community Festival takes place Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Park on 2975 Ocean View Blvd., San Diego.