Keikei Dover was smiling from ear to ear when listening to her church’s choir fill the Valencia Town Center with music to commemorate “Juneteenth” on Sunday afternoon.
Dover brought her father, who has dementia, saying she was taking him to a concert and felt so full at the celebration.
“It brings the people of Santa Clarita together in unison; for unity. And it’s just a spirit of hope because a lot of people right now with everything going on, it feels like hopelessness. You don’t have to feel that way. There are people here to support you of all faiths, right,” Dover said.
Dover’s church, Valencia Christian Center, was performing and she said she was just happy to be there.
The energy was high and the music was loud during the afternoon, with people passing through at the mall, observing, listening and even dancing at the event.
When asked what it felt like seeing people coming together and being at the event, Dover said it was freeing.
“It feels very authentic and genuine. Because there are a lot of times when people do things as a song, a dance, and a performance. We don’t need that. This is (people) coming together (after) a long time and a lot of hard work to get this to fruition and to see that is just touches my heart,” Dover said.
Tracey Wong, an attendee, said Juneteenth meant a lot to her for many reasons like freedom and being able to move forward.
“Juneteenth means to me: a celebration of freedom and moving forward, equity, inclusion, and celebrating where we have been, where we have come to, and where we don’t want to go back to again,” Wong said.
She added that people have more things in common than they realize, and that is what makes the community tightly knit.
“You know if you are a person of faith, and this is a Christian type of event, then we are all one under a Christ. So, these are our brothers and sisters, and we must all learn to get along and support each other and be kind to each other. And we have to exist with each other,” Wong said.
June 19, commonly called Juneteenth, is the traditional commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a U.S. federal holiday in 2021. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, but it could not be enforced in many places until after the Confederacy surrendered in the Civil War. June 19, 1865, is the date of an order in Galveston, Texas, enforcing the proclamation.
Denise Thomas, one of the organizers of the event, had a personal connection to Juneteenth involving her great-great aunt who was a slave at a plantation at the time.
Thomas said she watched the children on the plantation and, one day, her great-great aunt overheard that the slaves were freed.
“She was very near the home; she heard them talking about the slaves had been freed. (It was) about the Emancipation Proclamation finally reaching Texas. Well, she ran to tell her relatives about it, and it was total disarray, just total disarray. So, the owner of those enslaved people (was) egged on by his visitors, (who) were so angry that she shared the information with them, that they killed her. They lynched her on that property,” Thomas said.
Thomas wanted to participate in the event because it was an idea she had a long time ago and met with Yanique Johnson, a marketing manager at Valencia Town Center, at an event during Black History Month – prompting them to do something. She added that she remembered to do everything for the event, except bring tissues, because she was emotional.
“I was very, very grateful, very, very proud of our community and how everyone did the very best they could to make it happen,” Thomas added.
Rlynn Smith-Thomas, president of the NAACP Santa Clarita Branch, said the organization always envisioned doing something like this for the community.
“So, it’s something that is part of what we envision to be happening in the community. So, to have that turnout, to have the reception that was received by the attendees, this is what we’re looking for,” Smith-Thomas said.
She added that the music that was playing was rhythmic and was good for the soul.
“So, I see people joining in, and once they catch the chords, they start repeating the chords, dancing, clapping, whatever, all the things moving side to side as black choirs often do. And it’s just a feel-good feeling, and I think for the community, it’s important,” Smith-Thomas said.
