2024 Juneteenth Event Calendar
| Event | Date | Location | Details |
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| Open Submission Period for Juneteenth Arts Showcase | Now - May 17, 2024 |
Submit art to: 101 Twin Dolphin Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065
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Calling all young artists, grades TK-12! Express your creativity! Celebrate the rich history of Juneteenth through the power of art. We invite you to participate in our Juneteenth Arts Showcase, with the theme "From Resilience to Joy: Celebrating the Journey to Freedom." Learn more about how to submit your art here, or see the flyer below.  |
| San Mateo County Youth Arts Showcase Event |
June 5, 2024 5:15 P.M. – 6:45 P.M. |
South San Francisco Parks & Rec Center Banquette Hall 901 Civic Campus Way South San Francisco, CA |
Join the County of San Mateo Juneteenth Advisory Committee, County Supervisor Noelia Corzo, and partners for a youth art showcase commemorating Juneteenth and the Black experience in America. This will be an evening of art viewing, performances, light bites, and discussions centering and celebrating art from youth from throughout the county. Entry is free, but space is limited, so RSVP today. For more details, see the flyer below. To rsvp, please visit: https://bit.ly/smcjunteenthshowcase 
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2023 Event Recordings
| Event | Date | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag Raising Ceremony | June 6, 2023 9:00 A.M. |
County Courtyard Flag Pole
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Supervisor Noelia Corzo and the County of San Mateo Juneteenth Advisory Committee raised the Juneteenth flag with speakers and song, kicking off a month of celebration, awareness, and events around the holiday. Click here to watch recorded live stream. |
| Discovering Recovering Our Roots Juneteenth Celebration |
June 16, 2023 3:30 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. |
East Palo Alto Academy 1050 Myrtle St East Palo Alto, CA |
The San Mateo County African American Community Initiative hosted a fun-filled evening with resource sharing, food, live music, and vibrant discussion celebrating Juneteenth. See video highlights here.
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| Juneteenth Short Film Screening | June 21, 2023 5:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M. |
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Community Space 801 Jefferson Ave Redwood City, CA |
The County of San Mateo Juneteenth Advisory Committee hosted a short film screening commemorating Juneteenth and the Black experience in America. This was an evening of thought-provoking short films, a riveting moderated conversation, refreshments, and dynamic guests! Watch the video highlights here. |
2022 Event Recordings
2023 Previously Livestreamed Events
| Event | Date | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| County of San Mateo Juneteenth Proclamation Presentation | May 23, 2023 9:00 A.M. |
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Chambers 400 County Center Redwood City, CA |
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will adopt an ordinance affirming June 19 as “Juneteenth,” a holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. |
2022 Previously Livestreamed Events
| Event | Panelists |
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June, 3, 2022: Flag Raising Ceremony |
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June 7, 2022: First Celebration and Local Perspectives |
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June 14, 2022: Local Perspectives on Housing |
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June 21, 2022: Local Perspectives on Education |
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June 29, 2022: Black Leadership, Creativity, Resilience & Looking Forward |
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"The County of San Mateo recognizes the historical and ongoing racism in our country and how it leads to many disparities in education, job attainment, housing, criminal justice, and healthcare for Black people and beyond.
Juneteenth is a significant opportunity to honor the principles of the Declaration of Independence and celebrate the many achievements and contributions African Americans have made and continue to make in the County of San Mateo and across our nation.
Observing Juneteenth allows us to join together in the name of freedom, justice, and the power of community."
Mike Callagy
County Executive
Although Juneteenth was first celebrated in 1866, it was only officially designated as a federal holiday in 2021 by President Biden — over a century and a half after formerly enslaved people began to recognize its importance. The day is now acknowledged not just throughout the entire country, but also around the world as corporations, governments and people celebrate the hard-won freedom of Black Americans.
Many of us have been taught that slavery was abolished on January 1, 1863, when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In fact, this proclamation only directed the freeing of enslaved people within states in rebellion. Additionally, due to the slow advance of Union troops into the Confederacy, it took another two years before the last enslaved people in Texas heard of their proclaimed freedom. Those enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3. This date was then celebrated beginning the next year in 1866 and has spread throughout the country and world as a time dedicated to education, awareness, reflection and remembrance.
In 1997, Lisa Jeanne Graf designed the symbolic Juneteenth flag with a white star surrounded by a starburst to represent Texas and the freedom of Black Americans in all states, a curved line behind the star representing a new horizon, and red, white and blue colors taken from the flag of the United States. The flag was first flown at Roxbury Heritage State Park in Boston in 2000, and in 2007, the date “June 19, 1865” was added along the edge of the right border. The flag was also flown at the Illinois State Capitol in 2021.
Let's Learn More About this Holiday Together
Check out a reading list curated by our local librarians.
