Juneteenth Celebration in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara will celebrate Black joy and liberation with the annual Juneteenth celebration with two days of events to honor the holiday from June 18 to June 19, 2021. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic large-scale, in-person events have been heavily regulated by government agencies. Although the event is communal in nature, due to regulations, the Juneteenth 2021 event will be virtual. There will be a gallery space for social distance viewing of art installations for the duration of the month of June and booths to honor the communal nature of the event while adhering to government regulations.
With a shift to a virtual event, this year’s organizers, fResch Events led by Leticia Forney-Resch with support from Mariah Jones-Bisquera, understand the importance and spirit of the event, they have worked closely with the founders and original planners to produce a special event for the community, especially the Black community to enjoy. Juneteenth in Santa Barbara County has been celebrated in different iterations going back decades. This most recent iteration was co-founded by Simone Ruskamp, Chiany Dri, and Jordan Killebrew in 2018, where leaders celebrated at El Centro, cooking soul food in their homes and a local-centric program. The following year, 400 people attended Juneteenth, honoring the local and communal nature of the event by partnering with the Santa Barbara Public Library and other community organizations. In 2020, the event shifted to be virtual and was a showcase of the Santa Barbara Black community.
For the 2021 event, organizers are following local and state policies and restrictions. That aside, the event will be amazing and plans include uplifting our local Black artists, artisans, musicians, and more. “United in Hope for True Black Liberation,” join us for a weekend’s worth of celebrating, Black joy, and all forms of excellence. We are excited to bring you deep discussions, learning experiences for our Youth, and the celebration of Black artists. A formal press release to follow later this month.
We encourage you to join us on June 18 and June 19! For more information please go to: juneteenthsb.org
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