Oxnard—It was a pride-filled day at Plaza Park on Saturday, June 18, as the 33rd Annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Ventura County Celebration scored with residents.
THE free event featured local artists, great food, and plenty of music for the happy crowd. The celebration was joyous but reminded people there is still progress to be made.
Juneteenth Committee Co-Chairs Angela Mitchell-Landers and Julia Dixon are committed to celebrating Juneteenth.
“It’s the African-American celebration of their independence day from slavery,” Mitchell-Landers said. “In 1776, the American Revolution did not free the slaves. They were freed with the emancipation proclamation in 1863.”
She said the event celebrates triumphs in the African-American Community.
“It takes a lot of people to do this, between the vendor booths, entertainment, and the food vendors, but everybody works hard to get everybody out,” Dixon said.
Mitchell-Landers said they’ve struggled for years, and they’ll continue the struggle as long as it takes.
“To make sure people know that African-Americans built this County, we’re a part of history, and we’re not going anywhere,” she said. “This is home.”
Cynthia Gonzales is a Ventura County Attorney who does Family Law, Estate Planning, Bankruptcy, and Immigration, and Attorney Sparky Abraham helps…
