NAACP Celebrates Jubilee Day

The San Fernando Valley branch of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People on Sunday commemorated the 126th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery, with the 11th annual Jubilee Day Celebration.

More than 400 people from 15 different churches throughout the Valley attended the three-hour celebration at Calvary Baptist Church in Pacoima.

The jubilee, which began as a celebration of the enactment of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, featured song and prayer as well as several guest speakers.

Keynote speaker Moses Walters, associate director of Equal Opportunity Programs at Cal Poly Pomona, stressed the importance of unity and education for the future.

“We can never move forward faster than when we move together,” Walters said. “All the problems have not been solved. Our hope for a brighter future lies within ourselves. We’ve got to see the significance of ourselves.”

The celebration lived up to its reputation as a “gospel extravaganza” as a choir featuring members from all 15 churches delivered spirited versions of gospel songs between speakers.

Afterward, Jose De Sosa, president of the Valley Chapter of the NAACP, said blacks and other minorities must unite to continue to fight for equality. De Sosa, who also serves as state NAACP president, said that unity is more important than ever, noting that the NAACP has been the target of several recent attacks and threats by white supremacist groups.

“The NAACP will need to strengthen its forces, go back to the streets if necessary, to the courtrooms and boardrooms and let it be known until we have equality for all we will not be satisfied, “ De Sosa said.

Several younger people who attended Sunday’s celebration said they were glad that they had come because they felt they had learned something about their heritage.

“It just opened my eyes up to what other black people have done for us,” said Charles McNeil, 28, who drove with his family from Hawthorne to join in the ceremony. “It was beautiful.”

McNeil’s wife, Rachel, agreed. “Everybody needs to pull together, not just blacks. There should be more unity, more caring, more loving and sharing.”