San Francisco will host a first Juneteenth parade on Saturday to kick off a month of celebrations.

Fifteen floats, including floats with black cowboys on horseback and live bands, are scheduled to parade down Market Street beginning at 11 a.m. Over 5,000 people are expected to attend.

The parade “commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and celebrates African American culture in recognition of the contributions and advances of Black people,” according to the Juneteenth Parade website.

The parade ends at the Ferry Building and joins the Juneteenth on the Waterfront, which takes place Saturday from 9am to 2pm at the Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. The event is part of an ongoing series of events called Pop-Ups on the Plaza, which aims to elevate and showcase black-owned food businesses in the Bay Area.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day the last enslaved black Americans in Galveston, Texas learned they were free. It has been a federal holiday since 2021.

Other San Francisco Juneteenth events this month include Sunnydale’s 2023 25th Annual Family Day at Hertz Playground on Sunday, a Juneteenth launch celebration with Mayor London Breed at City Hall on June 16, and the San Francisco Black Wall Street Gala at The Hibernia June 16th, the Fillmore Juneteenth Festival at O’Farrell June 17th and Bayview Juneteenth at Gilman Park June 18th.

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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.

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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.

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San Francisco will host a First Juneteenth Parade on Saturday to kick off a month of celebrations.

Fifteen floats, including floats with black cowboys on horseback and live bands, are scheduled to parade down Market Street beginning at 11 a.m. Over 5,000 people are expected to attend.

The parade “commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans and celebrates African American culture in recognition of the contributions and advances of Black people,” according to the Juneteenth Parade website.

The parade ends at the Ferry Building and joins the Juneteenth on the Waterfront, which takes place Saturday from 9am to 2pm at the Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. The event is part of an ongoing series of events called Pop-Ups on the Plaza, which aims to elevate and showcase black-owned food businesses in the Bay Area.

Both events are free and open to the public.

June 19 refers to the date Union soldiers declared that the Civil War was over and the slaves should be freed. From 2021 it was recognized as a federal holiday.

Other San Francisco Juneteenth events this month include:

• Sunnydale 2023 25th Annual Family Day at Hertz Playground on Sunday
• June 16 launch ceremony with Mayor London Breed at City Hall on June 16.
• San Francisco Black Wall Street Gala at The Hibernia also on June 16th
• Fillmore Juneteenth Festival at O’Farrell on June 17th
• Bayview Juneteenth at Gilman Park on June 18th

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/BCN) — Mayor London Breed kicked off the Juneteenth holiday season Friday with an announcement and flag-raising ceremony at City Hall.

Juneteenth is the federal holiday that commemorates when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were notified of their freedom in 1865. President Joe Biden made June 19 a federal holiday in 2021.

SAN FRANCISCO
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration: June 18, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fillmore District, San Francisco.
This celebration will span eight city blocks and feature community leaders, performances, vendors and fashion.
Free. https://juneteenth-sf.org

Juneteenth on the Waterfront: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza, San Francisco.
Expect handcrafted food, Black-owned business vendors, and a farmer’s market to kick off a month of Juneteenth celebrations in San Francisco. Free. cuesa.org/event/2022/juneteenth-waterfront

Freedom Day at MoAD: June 18, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission St., San Francisco.
The Museum of the African Diaspora will offer free admission to their current exhibitions on Juneteenth. Free. moadsf.org/

SF Black Wall Street Celebration: June 19, Gilman Park, San Francisco.
The third annual Black Wall Street celebration will include food vendors, the Black Millionaire Marketplace, live performances and amusement park rides for children all day. Free. sfblackwallstreet.com/juneteenth-2022

Film Screening of Ferguson Rises: Saturday, 12pm to 5pm, Bayview Opera House.
The Bayview Opera house will host a Flowers for Fathers Marketplace, a Ferguson Rises documentary screening and a panel discussion about race and fatherhood with Mike Brown Sr. Free. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screening-ferguson-rises-wspecial-guest-mike-brown-sr-tickets-338646890967?aff=funcheap

MARIN COUNTY
Marin City Juneteenth Festival: June 19, Rocky Graham Park, 800 Drake Ave., Sausalito.
Marin City’s sixth Annual Juneteenth Festival with kick off with live music, food and local vendor booths. This year’s theme is Looking Towards the Future. Free. juneteenthcommunityfestival.info/

Juneteenth Tiburon Celebration: June 17, 4 to 7 pm, 1704 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon.
Tiburon’s celebration will commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US with jazz, poetry readings and guest speakers including Mayor John Welner. Free. https://www.tiburonchamber.org/Diversity-Equity-Inclusion

Mill Valley Freedom Festival: June 19, 11 am to 3 pm Mill Valley Downtown Plaza, 87 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley.
This inaugural event will celebrate Juneteenth with poetry, live music, storytelling and family-friendly games.
Free. cityofmillvalley.org/

ALAMEDA COUNTY
Berkeley Juneteenth Festival: June 19, 11 am to 7 pm, Adeline Street and Alcatraz Avenue.
The 35th annual Berkeley Juneteenth Festival is focused on family fun and entertainment with live music from several jazz performers including Nate the Soulsanger. Free. berkeleyjuneteenth.org/

Oakland’s Juneteenth Festival: June 18-19, 11 am to 8 pm Lake Merritt Amphitheatre.
The tenth annual Pan African Wellness Fest on June 18 will showcase meditation, mental health resources, yoga, Tai Chi, self-defense, spoken word, interactive art installations, and more. On the 19, party with some of the Bay’s most popular DJs.
Tickets start at $5. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oaklands-juneteenth-festivals-2-days-fam-bam-panafrican-wellness-tickets-322769752017

Fallen Heroes, Rising Stars: Juneteenth through dance: June 25, 6 pm to 7:30 pm Virtual live stream.
The Grown Woman Dance Collective of Oakland will have their annual dance performance celebrating strength, resilience, and joy. This year’s virtual showcase will be live streamed is free to watch. Free. https://www.grownwomendance.org/juneteenth-2022

Hayward Outdoor Fitness Festival: June 18, 10 am to 1 pm, Hayward Heritage Plaza.
Trap yoga, dance and work out sessions will headline a second annual Hayward Juneteenth Celebration that will take the form of a wellness festival. Free. https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/events/juneteenth-hayward-2022-outdoor-fitness-and-wellness-festival

Livermore Valley Arts Celebrates Juneteenth: June 18-19, Bankhead Theater and Plaza, Livermore.
On June 18, radio personality and comedian Faith Alpher will speak about the state of racial justice today. On June 19, Livermore Valley Arts with with Tri-Valley for Black Lives will host a Juneteenth festival on the Bankhead Plaza. Free. livermorearts.org/

SOUTH BAY
Juneteenth in the Streets Festival: Sunday-June 18, San Jose.
This week will begin Sunday with a brunch at soul food restaurant, Jackie’s Place and end with a street festival on June 18, complete with local food vendors, artists, musicians, businesses and community services. Tamar Braxton wants to headline. Free. sjaacsa.org/juneteenth/home

Juneteenth at the Children’s Discovery Museum: June 19, 9:30 am 4:30 pm, 180 Woz Way, San Jose.
The Children’s Discovery Museum with partner Silicon Valley African Film Festival will show animated shorts, host drumming workshops, and drum making classes for kids. $15. cdm.org

SAN MATEO COUNTY
Juneteenth Celebration and Lunch: 12 to 3 pm Saturday, 251 City Park Way, San Bruno.
The San Bruno Culture and Arts Commission and the San Bruno Public Library will celebrate Juneteenth in person this year at San Bruno City Park. Enjoy music, community, crafts and opening remarks from community leaders. Free. sanbruno.ca.gov/

SONOMA COUNTY
Sonoma County Juneteenth: June 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, 1671 Hendley St., Santa Rosa.
Join Sonoma County’s 52nd Annual MLK Juneteenth Community Festival with live entertainment, food and games.
Free. sonomacountyjuneteenth.com/

Juneteenth Remembrance Project: June 18, 2 to 4 pm, Sonoma Community Center,
276 E. Napa St., Sonoma.
The Remembrance Project is a community art project creates activist art banners for social justice. Participants in the Juneteenth workshop will design quilt blocks that highlight issues plaguing local or larger communities. Free. sonomacommunitycenter.org/

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival: June 19, 11 am to 4 pm, Healdsburg Plaza, Healdsburg.
Performances will encompass a wide range of Black music and art including gospel, early blues, New Orleans jazz, funk, R&B, spoken word and modern swing music. The festival also includes educational programs and crafts for kids. Free. headsburgjazz.org/

AGAINST COSTA COUNTY
City of Richmond Juneteenth Parade and Festival: June 18, 10 am to 6 pm, Booker T. Anderson Center, Richmond.
This year’s will be Richmond’s first in-person Juneteenth festival since 2019. The parade will start at 10 am at the Booker T. Anderson Center and end at Nichol Park, where a food festival and live music awaits. Free. ci.richmond.ca.us/

Juneteenth-Proud To Be — Partner Painting: June 19, 6:30 to 9:30 pm 548 Contra Costa Blvd., Pleasant Hill.
Celebrate Juneteenth with a night of painting led by instructors at Painting with a Twist. The whole family is welcome.
$42. paintingwithatwist.com/

SOLANO COUNTY
Vallejo’s 32nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration: June 18, 11 am to 4 pm, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Vallejo.
Vallejo’s festival features 75-100 exhibitors and expects hundreds of visitors to come out and enjoy vendors selling merchandise and food, activities for children, and live entertainment
Free. https://vallejojuneteenth.com

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TOPSHOT – Protesters play in a cloud of washable colored powder during a Marchteenth march and rally in Washington, DC, June 19, 2020 Millions of Americans face the living legacy of the nation’s racial injustice. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Until recently, few in American corporations recognized the juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. That all changed last summer when the assassination of George Floyd and the settlement of police brutality sparked a movement for social justice.

Today, a growing list of businesses is recognizing juneteenth as a paid day off, a token of support for the black community. While observing the Juneteenth is a step in the right direction, it is just that – a step. More needs to be done to create equitable pathways, inclusive workplaces and effective approaches to empowering diverse voices. Here we’ve highlighted a few companies that are honoring Juneteenth by laying the groundwork to help achieve these goals.

Twitter

Twitter logo displayed on a phone screen. Photo illustration by Soumyabrata Roy / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California. Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg

On June 9, 2020, the day of George Floyd’s funeral, Jack Dorsey announced that his companies Twitter and Square had made Juneteenth an annual corporate holiday in the United States, calling it “a day of celebration, education, and Connection”. Since then, Twitter has doubled over on diversity, equity and inclusion and is committed to ensuring that by 2025 at least 25% of its leadership positions are filled with people from underrepresented communities or women moving us and our industry forward. And we’re not stopping, “said Dalana Brand, VP of People Experience and Head of Inclusion and Diversity. It was also transparent about its shortcomings and released a report in March highlighting a lack of diversity at the top.

Spotify

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – An exterior view of Spotify Celebrates Black History is now pop-up (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images for Spotify)

Getty Images for Spotify

After Spotify declared Juneteenth a corporate holiday in June 2020, Spotify used its flagship weekly playlist, New Music Friday, with more than 3.5 million followers to celebrate Black Excellence, which includes all black artists. “Black artists have defined and inspired music in all genres for generations, from hip hop, R&B, soul, pop, rock, country and much more,” the company said in a statement. Then, in February, in honor of Black History Month, the audio streaming company set an example of how companies can use their unique platforms to nurture healthy, effective allies and launched Spotlight on Black Voices and Creators: an initiative which aims to celebrate Black and amplify voices all year round. Internally, over the past year, it has pursued the goal of promoting equality among its workforce by establishing employee resource groups, setting (and pursuing) diversity goals, and offering free monthly memberships to Black Band members. Most recently, the company campaigned for the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the federal piece of legislation that makes Juneteenth a federal holiday.

University of Alabama at Birmingham

William Lee # 34 of the UAB Blazers reacts after a game against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second round of the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 19, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Getty Images

In higher education, an industry uniquely positioned to combat social and structural racism, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has emerged as a leader in its academic forgiveness policy. The student debt crisis has hit black students harder than any other student in America, according to a recent report by the US Congress’ Joint Economic Committee. UAB now allows students to repeat up to four grades without affecting their grades. It has also set up a cultural awareness program that allows students from different backgrounds to share their unique experiences. The President of the UAB, Dr. Ray Watts, attributes the school’s reputation as a premier public institution to its focus on community “to invest in its people and the vitality of its campus.” Inclusion said a university spokesperson, “Diversity is a defining feature of Birmingham’s past, present and future. At UAB, we are committed to capitalizing on what makes Birmingham and the university pioneers in advancing inclusion.”

Adobe

Adobe Systems global headquarters in downtown San Jose, California

Moment Editor / Getty Images

When Adobe announced last June, “to all Adobe employees [Juneteenth] focus on reflection and advocacy, ”the multinational computer software company also launched Taking Action, an initiative to accelerate the representation, development, and success of black employees. “At Adobe, we have a responsibility to address structural inequality in our communities and in society,” said CEO Shantanu Narayen and CHRO Gloria Chen in a letter to all Adobe employees. “To be successful, we have to operate in a society where everyone is empowered.” Since then, says Chen, it has already had an impact: “We have used our platform to expand the stories of black creators with Diverse Voices, Adobe Stock Advocates and our film ‘When I See Black’. We campaigned for more US government funding for access to education and called on the US Senate to take action against the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. “

Edited by Forbes Fellow, Eric Johnson

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