San Diego City Hall raised the Juneteenth flag on Tuesday, marking the sixth time the banner has flown outside the administration building ahead of the federal holiday this Friday, June 19. The flag-raising ceremony, led by City Councilman Henry L.
Foster III, underscores the city's commitment to honoring the day when the last enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy learned of their freedom.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing approximately 250,000 enslaved people. This occurred more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation had declared enslaved people in Confederate states free.
The day became a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. California followed suit, designating it a state holiday through Assembly Bill 1655, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 23, 2023.
In San Diego, the City Council voted in 2023 to make June 19 a paid holiday for city workers.
"Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, but it is also a reminder that freedom did not arrive at the same time, or in the same way, for everyone in this country," Councilman Foster said during the ceremony. "It is a celebration of Black joy, liberty, family, culture, faith, freedom, and of the generations of Black communities and families that continued to thrive despite barriers.
As we raise this flag, we honor that legacy and continue the work of advancing equity, expanding opportunity and removing barriers for Black communities."
For years, Juneteenth was recognized at City Hall through a ceremonial presentation led by Council District 4 and the city's Black Employees Association. The flag-raising tradition began in 2019.
The original Juneteenth statue, created in 1974 by artist Rossie Wade, depicted two parents and their two children standing tall toward the sky and served as a community meet-up spot. Over time, the wooden statue deteriorated, leaving only its brick base and plaque.
Juneteenth events continue this week across the region. On Tuesday afternoon, the city of Chula Vista will raise the Juneteenth flag at City Hall at 4 p.m.
at 276 Fourth Ave. On Friday, the actual holiday, the Juneteenth Community Block Party will begin at noon on Louisiana Street in North Park, featuring music, vendors, and activities at the corner of Louisiana Street and University Avenue.
Quartyard will host an R&B Block Party with a Juneteenth theme at 1301 Market St. Saturday's events include the annual Cooper Family Foundation Juneteenth celebration at Memorial Park at 11 a.m., with educational programs, entertainment, family activities, food, and vendors, as well as performances by Durti-Ryce and Deron.
The event is at 2975 Ocean View Blvd. At 1 p.m., Kinfolk Fest, a Juneteenth celebration, will start at Waterfront Park, featuring live music, DJs, a Black-owned marketplace, and food and beverages at 1600 Pacific Highway.
At 7 p.m., the WorldBeat Cultural Center will host a lecture on the Underground Railroad that ran into Mexico. Chief Thomi Perryman will present on the Mascogos of Nacimiento de los Negros, an Afro-Mexican community in Coahuila, Mexico, that has celebrated Juneteenth for over 150 years.
The event will take place at 2100 Park Blvd.