Freedom, Family Celebrated at Juneteenth Fete

The park smelled of backyard briquette, the aroma only grills can make. As children darted around wooden picnic tables of parents and friends, the laughter of family reunions resonated.

In reality, the folks who celebrated Saturday at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center were not family. It was indeed a people bound by blood, but bound in a different way.

Juneteenth is a holiday of growing national importance, especially in the African American community. The holiday celebrates the late arrival of freedom for slaves in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.

Word of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of legal slavery, took three years to reach the southeastern coast of the Lone Star State. A celebration of that late arrival is what brought an estimated 400 people Saturday to Oxnard.

“Juneteenth is a celebration of our ability to be full citizens,” said Leola Samuel, 73, of Oxnard. “These kids should always remember this day, because someone was instrumental in obtaining this freedom for them.”

Samuel has helped organize the Juneteenth celebration in Ventura County since 1990, along with her church, St. Paul’s Baptist Church. For the past eight years, Samuel has had help from Andrew Rucker, president of the Tri-Counties African-American Chamber of Commerce.

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The significance of Juneteenth is too often ignored by the history books, he said, so black-organized celebrations are necessary to ensure the day is properly remembered for its role in the development of a nation.

“Regardless of the ethnic group, this is a celebration of the emancipation of slaves, and it is important,” Rucker said. “The Union Army might not have won the Civil War if not for slaves having been freed to fight.”

Rucker, 66, organized many of the sales and information booths that lined the eating areas, as well as having arranged for live music. Everything from traditional African necklaces to information on how to help teens avoid smoking was available.

Tobbie Brown, 43, of Oxnard, was one of several entrepreneurs who took advantage of an opportunity to peddle wares at the community gathering. She offered customers a diverse array of African American art, from china dolls to ceramic scenes of families.

Brown usually sells the art in the back of an Oxnard beauty salon, but on Saturday she sold them from a table and tent. She said she did not know of many area stores that deal in African American art.

“I used to have to sell these from my house, so it’s pretty rewarding,” Brown said. “Besides, they need some culture in this county.”

Camarillo resident Michelle Harper, 31, staffed a booth for Aspira, a foster family service that seeks African American foster parents, of which she said there is a shortage. Harper said she also enjoyed the opportunity for her 3-year-old daughter, Hayley, to be with people of color.

It is too early to explain Juneteenth to Hayley, she said, but added it is never too early for her to enjoy the company of people who look like her.

“Her idea right now is that she’s out here with her cousins, and she wants more bubbles,” Harper said, laughing. “But it’s important for her to be here, because she doesn’t get to see enough positive images of herself. It’s good for her confidence.”

The real attraction, though, was the food. A pair of vendors offered their versions of barbecue bliss. Both were cooking since early Saturday to serve the lunch crowd.

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Grilled chicken, ribs, hot links and several sides were offered by Laurence Burkley, 33, of Oxnard, while nearby Maxine Riley, 50, also of Oxnard, offered similar fare with a slightly different flavor.

Max Moreno, 49, of Oxnard, more than sampled a bit of the bounty. He ate ribs, a sandwich, and “a little bit of everything.” Although he had not heard of the festival before, he said he understood the celebration and was glad he came.

“The food is amazing,” he said. “They should have advertised this more . . . I live across the street and I didn’t know about it.”