The significance and celebration of Juneteenth carries a lot of weight for African Americans: The emancipation from chattel slavery, but never forgetting the nightmare of slavery; The journey of our ancestors; Our resilience as a people for what we had to endure as because of the systemic legacy of slavery and in spite of the obstacles that were placed before us; Our unique culture, made in America, but rich with our African heritage; The contributions we have made to the fabric of America, notwithstanding our humble beginnings; And our continued commitment  to equal justice under the law for all citizens.

No doubt the founders of the first celebrated Juneteenth in Galveston, TX echoed the desire to simply celebrate our journey. We do not know the names of the Galveston Juneteenth committee, but in 1865 they established the beginning of a national legacy and a national holiday!

ABOUT JUNETEENTH-IN-BERKELEY

Juneteenth-in-Berkeley was started to promote community pride and bring together South Berkeley businesses and residents in the celebration of a major African American cultural event, culminating in the first annual Festival in 1987. With the establishment of Berkeley Juneteenth Cultural Celebrations in 2014, the organization began producing Black History Month celebrations during the month of February. 

As for documented history of the BERKELEY JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL, our founder RD Bonds and others, began celebrating Juneteenth in Berkeley in 1986. Chicken dinners were sold, and an awesome party was held at Nick's Lounge to fund the first celebrated street festival in 1987. James Sweeney obtained the California 501© (3) under the name Berkeley Juneteenth Association, Inc., and the newly appointed board members were RD Bonds -President, Dorothy Wiggins, Evelyn Cockrell, Abiayed Shabazz, Sam Dyke, Rhonda Watts-James, James Sweeney, Delores Cooper -Secretary, and Bradley Walters. Source: Bylaws signed by Board of Directors on March 9, 1989.

By the time the federal non-profit was established in 1992, the event had been celebrated under the direction of RD for five years and he hired his friends, the sister and brother team of Paul Smith and Barbara Taylor to obtain entertainment acts. This relationship continued after RD’s death in 1995 and up until 2006. For almost 25 years, they worked under the direction of Sam Dyke who obtained funds through the City of Berkeley to pay for festival entertainment. Their domain was entertainment, and they did a great job of using their premiere connections. But entertainment is only one aspect of a festival. Vendors, equipment, fundraising, etc., was solely managed by Dyke, and the non-profit’s often-transient Board of Directors. In 2007 a new Board breathed new life into the organization. Hours of planning by the new Board built the foundation for today’s organization.

There are many individuals who have had a hand in making Berkeley Juneteenth a success for over 38 years. Carla Oden, a local artist designed posters and our first street banner in the 1990s and 2000s. Oden also introduced consistent graphics branding. Reggie Greene created a blueprint for fundraising by researching the history of Juneteenth and then documenting it. Filmmaker Doug Harris created our first website; Artist Mildred Howard contributed  banner designs to ensure that the tradition of Juneteenth continues in the neighborhood she grew up in. For 23 years, Lothario Lotho served as Festival MC until his death in 2011. Giselle and Lucky Thomas made volunteering on event day a family affair. Councilmembers Mary Wainwright and Maudelle Shirek established the co-sponsorship with the City of Berkeley. Vendors like Ashay by the Bay, and CJs BBQ have participated almost since the Festival’s inception. We are grateful to named and unnamed participants! 

This event is a demonstrated example of “Belonging”- our community engaging other communities to celebrate the Black experience…The tradition of Juneteenth in Berkeley will continue as long as the collective community is willing to step forward to make it happen.