Members of the Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition serve a free barbecue during the Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration. This year’s event is Saturday, June 21, at McKenzie Park in Hermiston. (Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition/Contributed Photo)

Juneteenth celebration is June 21 at McKenzie Park

HERMISTON — The Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition invites the community to unite with food, fun and fellowship during the Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration on Saturday, June 21, 4-8 p.m., at McKenzie Park, 320 S. First St.

HCAC President Dave Gracia said the crew from Rogers Toyota of Hermiston is donating the hamburgers and hot dogs and will man the grill for a free barbecue. The meal also includes chips, various side dishes and desserts.

“Members are donating things like icy pops and water,” He said. “Everyone is bringing something, so there will be plenty of food.”

The event also features outdoor games, Zumba, children’s activities, music, informational booths, special speakers and information about Juneteenth. Gracia encourages people to bring chairs or blankets and join the community celebration.

Gracia said it’s important to learn and understand our nation’s history. By ignoring or hiding the past, he said, people might slide back into old ways.

“A lot of people want to whitewash our history,” he said. “I wasn’t taught in school about what happened in Galveston in 1865. It was two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation and some people still weren’t free.”

Also, Dawn Rome, the coalition’s cultural events coordinator, said they strive to include all demographics and age groups through their activities. The way to combat social stigma, she said, is to facilitate connections between people who live, work, go to school and play together.

“We need one another to learn from one another,” Rome said. “It takes a village.”

Catalyst for change

Gracia and his wife, Bonnie, the group’s treasurer, said about a dozen members make up the coalition. HCAC began as the Black International Awareness Club in 2000, hosting a Martin Luther King Jr. Day peace march.

The grassroots organization was instrumental in urging the city of Hermiston to observe MLK Day as an official holiday. According to a Jan. 16, 2001, Hermiston Herald article, several city councilors stood on the steps of a locked city hall with Mayor Bob Severson, who proclaimed they were pleased to recognize King’s legacy.

“Hermiston is a community of diversity and … we are all citizens of that one community,” Severson said.

A charter member of the coalition, Rome, who is Black, was there for the momentous occasion. While she has witnessed an overall downward spiral concerning cultural acceptance during the past few years, Rome has observed positive changes locally.

“Our community has done a beautiful job embracing our diversity,” she said. “Celebrating our traditions and events together is one key step forward to creating and connecting this wonderfully woven fabric of humans and experiences.”

While living in Hermiston, the Gracias — Dave since 1998 and Bonnie since 1988 — have watched the town become more culturally diverse. Although both view that as a positive thing, they said some community members are not as welcoming.

“There are a lot of good people here, but there are elements of some who are negative about people of color. It’s kind of demoralizing,” Dave Gracia said. “We’re trying to change that.”

He said feedback about the coalition’s efforts is generally positive. In addition, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley applauded HCAC during his town hall meeting on April 12 in Hermiston. Acknowledging their contributions to the community, the Oregon senator presented the group with an American flag that flew at the U.S. Capitol.

Other coalition activities

Rome said the coalition is hosting new opportunities for people to connect. In addition to the yearly peace march and Juneteenth celebration, she said people can participate in Zumba cultural fitness dance classes at Blue Mountain Community College in Hermiston and the upcoming Taste of African Heritage cooking classes.

“As we grow, people are scared to change, but we’re changing,” Dave Gracia said. “This is a great community with a lot of people and we would like them to celebrate this very important event with us.”

HCAC meets on the second Saturday of each month at 2 p.m. at the Hermiston United Methodist Church. For more information, search www.facebook.com/hcac2000 or call Gracia at 541-571-7874.

What is Juneteenth?

According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the words “June” and “nineteenth” were blended as Juneteenth.

The holiday commemorates the end of slavery on June 19, 1865, when Army troops led by Union Gen. Gordon Granger descended upon Galveston Bay, Texas, to free those still enslaved more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Initially, Juneteenth was celebrated through family gatherings and church-related events. Over time, the informal holiday included pilgrimages to Galveston Bay. As Juneteenth celebrations spread across the Southern states in the 19202-1930s, it often featured food festivals.

Although long celebrated in the African American community, Texas became the first state in 1980 to officially designate Juneteenth as a holiday. With many states following, it was declared a federal holiday in 2021 by President Joe Biden after Congress passed legislation for Juneteenth National Independence Day. It’s also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day and Black Independence Day.