Cultural coalition fires up barbie for Juneteenth
Published 3:00 am Tuesday, June 13, 2023
- Teresa Denaloza, right, and Tina Thomas, center, visit with fellow attendees during a June 19, 2021, Juneteenth Celebration. The Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition is hosting this year’s event Saturday, June 17, 2023, at McKenzie Park, Hermiston. It includes a free barbecue, lawn games, DJ music, folkloric dancing and information/vendor booths.
HERMISTON — A community celebration is planned as a way to unite people with food, fun and fellowship.
The Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration. The free event is Saturday, June 17, 4-8 p.m. at McKenzie Park, 320 S. First St.
The family-friendly gathering includes a free barbecue, information and vendor booths, and park activities. DJ Moises Lopez will crank up the music and Folklore de mi Tierra will perform traditional dancing.
Kids can play in a bouncy castle and participants are invited to bring cornhole or other outdoor games. Also, HCAC treasurer Bonnie Gracia encourages people to grab their lawn chairs or blankets.
Designated as a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The date — June 19, 1865 — coincides with the day when federal troops galloped into Galveston, Texas, to ensure all enslaved people were free — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
“It’s been called the second Independence Day in America,” Dave Gracia said. “Even though the slaves had been freed, technically they still weren’t free.”
Gracia, Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition president, said it’s important to be mindful of our nation’s history. By maintaining an awareness, he said, people are less likely to repeat past mistakes.
“It’s long been celebrated by the African American community but it’s been largely unknown by most Americans,” Gracia said about the significance of Juneteenth.
During the celebration, HCAC member Jackie Linton, who on Dec. 12, 2022, was sworn in as the first African American person on the Hermiston City Council, will make a presentation about Juneteenth. And fellow coalition member Dawn Rome will read a poem.
Gracia said the coalition strives for an inclusive community and encourages anyone interested in being a part of the collective voice to join them. The club also hosts a peace march and program each January commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“We want to remove the veil of preconceived notations,” Gracia said. “And we want to do it in a non-confrontational way.”
For more information about the celebration or the coalition, search www.facebook.com/hcac2000. For questions, call Gracia at 541-571-7874.
