Families, Friends Join In Lake Elsinore To Celebrate The End Of Slavery In America

More than 100 people came out to Saturday for the Southwest Riverside NAACP’s 11^th annual Juneteenth celebration in the city.

Juneteenth marks the June 19, 1895 date when union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved people were free. That news was long in coming: More than two years earlier, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Southwest Riverside NAACP branch #1034 chapter president Mary Venerable said it is important that injustices like slavery are never repeated, and Juneteenth serves as a reminder.

But the celebration is also about having fun. Good food, great music and even better company are all part of Juneteenth.

“Events like this are about people just coming together,” Venerable explained, noting that the NAACP and events like Juneteenth span racial and economic lines.

“The NAACP is here for all people, not just African Americans but everyone,” she said.

“It’s been wonderful,” said Janice Hare, 57, of Wildomar. She provided some of the musical entertainment today as a member of the Inland Empire Senior Gospel Community Choir.

Patricia Louis, 65, echoed Hare’s remarks.

“I am absolutely enjoying myself,” Louis said, adding that she believes Juneteenth is important for young Blacks to reflect on how far they have come in America.   

Reflection also came in the way of tributes today.

Former NAACP President Sonja Wilson was presented with a plaque from Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries that was signed by California Sen. Bill Emmerson, thanking her for her service to Lake Elsinore. She spent 42 years with the Lake Elsinore Unified School District and retired as a board member last year. She was unable to accept the award in person for health reasons.

Vendors and non-profit groups were also on-hand for today’s celebration.

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church was at the event to sponsor and raise money for families in Uganda.

The church receives traditional Ugandan clothes and art from a family in Uganda and sells the items stateside for much more than can be raised at home. The money is then used to help the family get the bare necessities.

“We do not make any profit from the items,” said church member Jenn Pedgeon-Pagliei. “The money helps with rent, school tuition and clothes.”

Today’s event marked the first time in eight years Juneteenth was held at McVicker. More recently, the celebration has been hosted at in Lake Elsinore.

The NAACP Southwest Riverside branch #1034 serves nine cities: Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Menifee, Perris, Corona, Sun City, Murrieta and Temecula.