Black History celebration in Folsom
A local Juneteenth event will be held
from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, June 15 at the Negro
Bar State Park in Folsom. Juneteenth is an African American
tradition and celebration of freedom.
Through exhibits, music, poetry and speakers who emphasize
the pivotal role that African Americans played in the state's
anti-slavery and abolitionist movements, Juneteenth illuminates
the often overlooked link between the Underground Railroad
and the history of African Americans in the Sacramento Region.
"One of the largest black Gold Rush communities in the
region was located at Negro Bar in Folsom," says Joe
Moore, Juneteenth project director. "While the initial
African American presence at Negro Bar was not lengthy, it
has the distinction of being the site where gold was first
discovered in Northern California by African Americans in
Moore is organizing the event along with his wife, California
State University, Sacramento history professor Shirley Ann
Wilson Moore. The local program is a celebration of African
American pioneers of the Gold Rush era and the contributions
they made to the development of the Sacramento Region.
"The Negro Bar area is important because the black struggle
for freedom in California and the United States emerged here
as evidenced by acts of violence against blacks, several notable
fugitive cases and the significance of African Americans to
the early economic and social development of the region,"
The Juneteenth event takes its name from the historic celebration
that took place when the news of emancipation finally reached
African Americans in Texas in June of 1865, two years after
the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Juneteenth celebrations
are held throughout the country to commemorate the event.
Juneteenth is a free event and will include activities such
as an open mic for poets, a Buffalo Soldier presentation,
historical lectures, gold-mining camp replications and more.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own picnic lunches
and portable BBQ grills. Soft drinks will be provided but
no alcohol or glass containers are permitted in the park.