Juneteenth

This week in the office we were getting prepared for Juneteenth. Before I go a little bit into what we did that did I want to offer a description of what Juneteenth is:

Juneteenth is the 19th of June. It is celebrated by African American people in our country because it acknowledges the abolishment of slavery in Texas in 1865. Juneteenth in my understanding is a response to the fourth of July--as this country was built on the backs of slaves and immigrants it is important to acknowledge and support their experiences and work towards a just society--I feel that Juneteenth does that.

Now for our office we were simply going to participate in the parade and walk along with the Congressman. I was not available for this particular event but I did help prepare for it. I was answering phone calls and keeping up to date with all the things that the office and the Congressman was saying about Juneteenth. When the day came many of our staff was there to show support and I thought that it was really important as a government entity to do that. As we were getting prepared for Juneteenth I thought about the DeSaulnier's constituents. The 11th district contains people from Walnut Creek and people from Richmond--these are two very different populations and both have different needs. Juneteenth is important to recognize in our society and Richmond knows that and celebrates it--but I didn't hear anything about Walnut Creek or Moraga wanting to put on a Juneteenth Celebration or even having knowledge of it--it was interesting to see how politics becomes part of people's identity and how people express themselves.