Juneteenth, or June 19th, became a federal holiday with the signing of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021. The name, a mashup of “June” and “nineteenth,” harkens back to June 19, 1865, commonly cited as the end of slavery in the U.S.
The day has been celebrated in piecemeal fashion since 1865, particularly by Black Americans in the South and in Galveston, Texas, where a Union general rode in on that fateful day and told enslaved people they were free.
This year’s observance comes at a time when the current president is turning back or eliminating historical references to specific cultural and ethnic groups. Some planned celebrations have been cancelled around the country, according to Newsweek—but events planned in the Coachella Valley are still taking place. (See a list at the end of this story.)
The Independent talked to community leaders about how they are planning to observe Juneteenth 2025—and why it’s important to celebrate, and educate, in the current political climate.
Sweet Baby J’ai is a producer, performer and activist, known for helming the internationally renowned Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival. She founded the Sunset Music and Education Foundation, an arts education platform that empowers underserved youth through music and mentorship.
SMEF is hosting Juneteenth: The Fight for Freedom, an evening of music, dance and discourse on Thursday, June 19, at Oscar’s Palm Springs. The theme speaks to the historical impact of Juneteenth and to a vision for the future—and that theme should resonate throughout the greater Palm Springs community, said J’ai.
“We try to make everything we do educational; you’re going to learn something,” J’ai said. “Anytime you come to anything we do, even if you’re coming to a concert, you’re going to walk out of there and say, ‘Oh, wow, I didn’t know that.’”
Oscar’s, the Mizell Center and Brothers of the Desert are collaborating with SMEF to present the free, public celebration. (All of the tickets have been reserved; to be put on the waitlist for the event, email sunsetmusic@earthlink.net.)
“That word, ‘celebration,’ that word is sort of loaded,” said J’ai. “Juneteenth, obviously, celebrates the official emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, and it marked the end of slavery in the United States, and so I think it’s important that we commemorate this date now more than ever. I’m calling this Juneteenth ‘the fight for freedom,’ because in this political climate, we need this. We need to mark this date, because this administration is rolling back our rights and depriving us of DEI. (It) has suddenly turned into this negative campaign, so we need to highlight the importance of diversity, inclusion, equity—how they are not bad words, but they actually are something that we still should be striving toward.
“In our celebration of Juneteenth, we’ll be examining the historic significance and the ongoing fight for racial equality and justice—because, as we all know, it is ongoing. So we continue this fight, but we do have to celebrate the progress that we’ve made. … This event offers a unique opportunity for reflection, for community engagement and for action toward achieving the freedom and equality that we (have) to fight for.”
Ginger Nelson and social group Coachella Valley Sistahs Network will make sure the celebration at Oscar’s includes ample fun, albeit within a teachable moment. She’s been practicing the latest viral trend—the “Boots on the Ground” line dance, and she’ll help lead participants at Oscar’s in the interactive dance.
“Some of us, we’re looking at boots on the ground as, like, a rallying call,” Nelson said. “… Our ancestors, while they were marching for civil rights, would clap and sing, and they moved to hymns. Me, personally, I’m hoping that while people are having fun with the dance, they will feel and recognize the beat and the urgency, the very need for us to come together and fight what’s happening with this administration. It’s going to take all of us with our boots on the ground to combat it.”
Nelson has lived in the Coachella Valley since 2014. She and her partner, both retired medical professionals, are grateful for the community of like-minded women they have in CVSN.
“We’re a social organization; we don’t have any type of charter or anything,” Nelson said. “We just support each other, emotionally, physically; we go to the store for someone if they’re ill. We send prayers—you know, whatever is needed. We’re friends, and I feel that we’re pretty fortunate to have this cohesive, supportive and loving community of women here in Coachella Valley.”
Nelson said anyone who wants to have a good time and join in a good cause will find both at Oscar’s.
“Wear your boots; wear your Western wear,” she said. “If you want to wear your African wear, whatever you’d like to wear, just come and join in the fun and know that this is an opportunity for us to be together and recognize that we’re all in this together. No matter what their gender, orientation or race is, we need to come together.”
Ector Simpson is director of operations, programs and community engagement at the Mizell Center. That title includes a lot of words to distill, he admits, but it adds up to a continued commitment to social-justice advocacy.
“What I’m most proud of is that I have been in the nonprofit sector for the last 25 years as an advocate for social justice, and I’m honored to continue that work on behalf of older adults here in the valley,” Simpson said.
Mizell has held Juneteenth celebrations in the past. This year, they’re handling and marketing for the Fight for Freedom event, with the goal of getting as many people involved as possible.
“(The event at Oscars) is being produced in leadership with Sweet Baby J’ai and the Sunset Music Festival,” said Simpson. “They are a tremendous resource in the community. It’s a constituency that is attracted to Mizell in terms of support of our programs. When we can align with another nonprofit to do good work that reaches a wide constituency, we want to be in the mix of that. They’ve reached out to a number of community partners, including Living Out (a 55+ LGBTQ apartment community) and Mizell to help support the event and certainly to bring our audiences to the event.”
Simpson thinks a refresher on Juneteenth is in order.
“Many folks in the community know the name Juneteenth. It’s a federal holiday, and we get another day off,” Simpson said. “But many folks, I think, (are) unaware of what the holiday (is), and what the implications of the holiday have been. Right after the holiday was signed into law, we did a Juneteenth 101. It was the who, what, when, where and why of (Juneteenth), and why it was important, not just to folks of African American culture, but why it was important to everyone. We had a great turnout for that, probably 100 folks.”
Mizell offers an array of classes and programs, including art and cooking classes, board games, bridge and mahjong, language classes, writing workshops, and more. Mizell moved away from its formal title of senior center a few years ago; Simpson said the constituents didn’t like the stigma. They preferred the term “active older adults.”
He hopes this year’s Juneteenth will draw more folks from the diverse communities in the valley.
“Our vision is to be wider in the community and to attract, not just necessarily older adults, but to attract folks who are connected to the community, because at some point, everyone will want to be here (at Mizell), we hope, and take advantage of our programs and services.”
Marilyn Solomon, 89, has seen a lot. She was an eye witness to the civil rights movement. Her father marched with Martin Luther King Jr. As a pioneering Black female producer, she trained her camera on the marginalized, unheard members of our society.
This year, Juneteenth is about more than legacy and history. According to Solomon, the celebration, and the advocacy that will grow out of it, is as relevant as ever.
“I look at Juneteenth as aspirational, not actual, until we get liberation, which is not only just freedom of movement, but freedom of thought and full participation and being able to look toward the future for you and the generations to follow,” Solomon said.
Her extensive body of film and television projects, created over 25 years in Hollywood, is now archived at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“They looked at me as a video bridge in Southern California for all kinds of people. Whether they’re gay or Black or Latino or Asian, (my work) provided a bridge from their experience to make connections to other people,” she said.
Solomon said more connections and collective action is needed. She wants people who celebrate Juneteenth to get involved in advocating for liberation on a global scale.
“I want people to be able to look at us in the context of the world,” said Solomon. “You know, I’ve been to Africa; I’ve been to Russia; I’ve been to China; I’ve been to Italy. Through all those places, I’ve come across people who just want to be able to be liberated, to be free and lead a good life and have a future for their children and the generations to come. That is universal, and if we can understand that out of (Juneteenth), then I think we can begin to open doors to form collaborations and relationships as we move forward.
“As a world community, that’s really what I want to be able to have people take a look at. We’re not alone in this fight.”
Juneteenth: The Fight for Freedom will take place at 5 p.m., Thursday, June 19, at Oscar’s Palm Springs, at 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, in Palm Springs. The event is free and open to the public, but seats are limited; email sunsetmusic@earthlink.net to be added to the waitlist. For more information, go to sunsetmusic.org
The Palm Springs Black History Committee and the city of Palm Springs will mark Juneteenth 2025 with an array of cultural, educational, food and entertainment events from June 19-21. Tickets for the King and Queen Pageant will be available at the door the night of the event. All other events are free. Food trucks and vendors will be onsite at selected events. For more information, visit palmspringsblackhistory.org/juneteenth, or call 760-416-5716. Those events include:
- The Juneteenth Kickoff at 7 p.m., Thursday, June 19, at VillageFest, in downtown Palm Springs.
- The Kings and Queens Pageant at 5 p.m., Friday June 20, at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, at 480 Tramview Road, in Palm Springs.
- The Concert in the Park featuring a tribute to Kool and the Gang at 7 p.m., Friday, June 20, at the Downtown Park in Palm Springs.
- Screening of the film Racist Trees at 2 and 6 p.m., Saturday, June 21, at the Palm Springs Art Museum, at 101 N. Museum Drive.
- The Unity Picnic at 5 p.m., Saturday, June 21, at the Downtown Park in Palm Springs.
