Santa Monica Juneteenth Events Expand with New Gathering

Santa Monica will commemorate Juneteenth with two public events on June 19 and 20, including a new wellness-focused gathering and the city’s 34th annual Juneteenth celebration, city officials announced Wednesday. The new Juneteenth Gathering is scheduled for June 19 from 4 p.m.

at Christine Emerson Reed Park and the Miles Memorial Playhouse. Organized by the city’s Recreation & Arts Department in partnership with Go As If Productions and producer Christy Roberts Berkowitz, the event will feature live music, DJ performances, an art workshop, sound immersion activities, and a film screening of “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions,” a project by artist and filmmaker Kahlil Joseph exploring themes of the Black diaspora and the intellectual legacy of W.E.B.

Du Bois. The following day, Santa Monica will host its 34th Annual Juneteenth Celebration from 1 p.m.

at Virginia Avenue Park, with the theme “A Legacy of Liberation: Honoring our Resistance and Resilience.” Mayor Caroline Torosis said the city expanded its Juneteenth programming this year to attract broader participation. “By expanding our Juneteenth offerings, we hope to welcome even more people to celebrate in Santa Monica and experience the rich music, art, and cultural opportunities,” Torosis said in a statement.

Santa Monica began funding Juneteenth events decades before the holiday was recognized federally in 2021. The annual celebration was founded by community activist LaVerne Ross, who remains involved with the organizing committee.

The festival will include musical performances, community resource booths, food vendors, art activities, and workshops. Scheduled performers include ADAAWE, the Kobie Dozier Quintet, Nichelle Monroe with Butterfly, and The Gumbo Brothers.

An interactive drum workshop will be led by Project KnuckleHead. The event will also feature local Black-owned businesses and vendors, and activities highlighting the history of Belmar, a historically Black neighborhood in Santa Monica displaced in the 1950s through urban renewal projects.

The Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council will deliver an invocation and recognize community members. Kathleen Benjamin, president of the council, said the invocation would focus on history, resilience, and faith.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved people of their freedom more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The Juneteenth Gathering takes place June 19 at Christine Emerson Reed Park, 1133 Seventh St., and the annual celebration on June 20 at Virginia Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Ave.