Thousand Oaks residents celebrate Juneteenth

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that a Juneteenth block party in Thousand Oaks on June 19 was the first Juneteenth celebration in the city.

A diverse crowd of about 100 people attended a Juneteenth celebration in Thousand Oaks Saturday. 

"We're here to celebrate the emancipation of our people," La Shaun Aaron, co-founder of the anti-racism group 805 Resistance, which co-hosted the event, told attendees on the lawn of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The event was co-hosted by Black & Free VC.

June 19, known as Juneteenth, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans of their freedom.

That was two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the Confederate states that had seceded from the United States. But word was slow to spread. The proclamation was issued during the nation's bloody civil war.

Saturday's "Juneteenth Block Party" came two days after President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

See what others are treading in related Juneteenth news:

• Local communities to celebrate Juneteenth with art, block party
• Juneteenth rallies in T.O., Simi have same message: Black Lives Matter
• With racial justice at forefront of public discourse, Juneteenth takes on added meaning

Juneteenth has gained wider recognition in recent years, particularly following nationwide protests over police brutality and the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in recent years.

Attendees listened to music spun by a DJ, ate food and sat on chairs and blankets conversing amid bubbles created by a machine. They wore T-shirts emblazoned with such phrases as "End White Supremacy," "Black Lives Matter," and "Juneteenth Vibes Only."

Children in attendance played in bounce houses, spun hula hoops and tossed bean bags.

Etevia Bragar, of Thousand Oaks, said the celebration was long overdue in her city.

"I've been here 11 years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything supporting African American/Black people here in the Conejo," said the stay-at-home mom. "The first in the actual city I live in."

She said Juneteenth is just as significant for Blacks as July 4th, which celebrates the birth of the United States with the passage of the Declaration of Independence.

"The significance of Juneteenth is to educate people to know that slaves weren't freed the same day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed," said Bragar, 40. "It took years for the word to get out."

Dennis Peters, 67, watched the celebration unfold from the comfort of a chair in the shade.

"It's nice to finally have a holiday to acknowledge Juneteenth," the retiree said. "People feel it may be divisive with July 4th. I don't agree with that. African Americans didn't have their independence in 1776."

Dan Wade, 27, drove from Oxnard to attend the event.

"I just came to check out the Juneteenth festival," he said, holding his infant daughter, Lainey, in his arms. "I hadn't heard of any other ones locally.

"And it's awesome," he said. "It's cool when you can have people gathered for a cause that's a lot bigger than themselves."

Officials in attendance included Simi Valley Councilwoman Ruth Luevanos, Jim Friedl, general manager of the Conejo Recreation and Park District, and Thousand Oaks Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Peña.

"Thousand Oaks' ... Juneteenth celebration is so timely now that the president has signed it into law as a federal holiday," Bill-de-la Peña said. "So, this was very apropos, very timely and also necessary."

Aaron told the crowd there is still a lot of racial work to be done in the country, as evidenced by fake dollar bills found scattered on the lawn by event volunteers early Saturday before the celebration began.

The bills bore the words "It's okay to be white," some featuring a photo of former President Donald Trump. Volunteers gathered them up and put them in a bag.

"That tells you where we're still at in this society and in our community here in Thousand Oaks," Aaron said.

Mike Harris covers the East County cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, as well as transportation countywide. You can contact him at mike.harris@vcstar.com or 805-437-0323.

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