About 3,000 people packed the Oakland Museum of California Thursday for the sold-out, second annual Hella Juneteenth festival — a celebration of Black joy, pride, community and freedom.
Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, became a federal holiday in 2021 — though communities have marked the occasion for generations.
The event, hosted by Hella Creatives, included a cookout, live music, Black-owned vendors, line dancing and other activities.
For Bay Area native Ashley Hughes, Juneteenth is a time to embrace and honor her roots. “It means being a Black woman feeling liberated, feeling happy,” she said.
For Margaret Ellis, whose family is from Louisiana and descended from people kidnapped in the early 1800s and transported on the Caledonia, Juneteenth is a day of community and honoring her ancestors. Ellis’ family celebrates each year and has taught her children and grandchildren that they “come from more than slavery.”
Aunti Afua, 81, of Oakland, has been celebrating Juneteenth her entire life. “I’m here because this is a celebration of what we have been through and where we are going,” she said. “We ain’t done yet.”
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