San Francisco’s First Citywide Parade Celebrating Black Liberation Kicks Off Juneteenth Festivities
Spectators paused from their morning walks or jogs to the Ferry Building Farmers’ Market to snap photos of classic Skylark, Mustang and Cutlass cars lined up along Spear Street and Market Street. Black members of the Fo’Fifteen Car Club were ready by 10 a.m. and waiting to take part in San Francisco’s first Juneteenth parade through downtown.
In partnership with the non-profit organization Livable City, organizers based in Bayview and Fillmore were able to bring the procession to the city’s streets. Livable City is best known for Sunday Streets, a citywide campaign bringing a day of car-free streets and free, family-friendly fun activities to different parts of the city.
Funded by
The 1.5-mile parade began at around 11 a.m. at Market and Spear and moved toward Civic Center Plaza while unmistakably displaying the pride and joy of Black people, something of its size and scale on the streets of San Francisco is rarely seen.
Thousands of people gathered to watch the parade of black families, organizations and neighbors. Mayor London Breed led the parade in a classic cable car. The parade kicked off several weeks of events honoring the hard-won legacy of black freedom, both past and present.
Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers reached Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery. Over 250,000 blacks were still enslaved when soldiers arrived on the Texas plantations to end the Confederate occupation of the region.
A parade goer holds a flag at the Juneteenth parade on Saturday. | Eloise Kelsey
Many Bay Area cities celebrated the holiday for the first time in 2022. The day of celebration — also known as Freedom Day, Liberation Day, or Jubilee Day — was separated in San Francisco’s Bayview and Fillmore counties celebrated for over 70 years. Saturday’s parade was a show of inter-county solidarity, uniting the city’s small but powerful black community.
With ongoing reports of San Francisco’s declining black population, the Juneteenth Parade has another meaning for the black community — it’s a symbol of resilience.
State and local officials were present to support the parade, including State Senator Scott Wiener, who waved to the crowd from a green skylark; City Treasurer Jose Cisneros, who nodded his head as he was chauffeured in a black Buick Regal; and Superintendent Myrna Melgar, who rode a bicycle and wore bright green feathers in her helmet.
The sounds of San Francisco rappers San Quinn, RBL Posse, StunnaMan02 and Larry June rang out from floats, motorcycles and vintage cars as they passed Powell Street. KBLX-FM 102.9 radio station host Antoine Davis introduced each float and parade participant, including black firefighters, motorcycle officers from the San Francisco Police Department and EMTs.
The inaugural parade also signals San Francisco visitors and residents that June 19 is a culturally significant holiday for the city, as do the annual Pride celebrations held in June each year and Chinatown’s New Year celebrations in February.
Dancers from the Lyric Performing Arts Center and Feline Finesse Dance Company demonstrated their moves. Performers from the African American Shakespeare Company, dressed in costumes from their recent production of Cinderella, walked in front of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association. Admiringly, the children gathered around a little pony led by club president Wilbert F. McAlister.
The procession returned to the Ferry Building for “Juneteenth on the Waterfront,” as part of a series titled “Pop-Ups on the Plaza,” which showcased black-owned shops and food. The events are organized by Foodwise and MegaBlack SF. Saturday’s event featured a Foodwise classroom entitled Black Chefs and Wine Makers Talk.
A wide variety of food vendors served the fair, including ribs from Lil’ Alijo Catering & Events, Mo’Raysha’s lobster mac & cheese and drinks from The Lemonade Bar. Gumbo Social, which recently opened its brick-and-mortar location in Bayview, was featured with its signature savory gumbo present.
At the end of the parade route there were neither speeches nor grand gestures. For many, the first Juneteenth Parade in San Francisco was an opportunity to experience San Francisco and the black community of the greater Bay Area in authentic and indigenous celebration, despite the holiday’s origins in desperation.
The parade was just the beginning of the celebration of black justice and liberation. Breed will host the official ceremony at San Francisco City Hall on Friday, followed by a week of celebrations. Activities take place across the city, including the 73rd annual Fillmore Juneteenth Freedom Festival on Saturday, which features eight blocks full of family-friendly activities, performances, games and rides. The Bayview Juneteenth celebration takes place at Gilman Park on Sunday.
