Free East Bay Parks Day Planned Saturday To Celebrate Juneteenth

EAST BAY, CA — East Bay Regional Park District is teaming up with organization Outdoor Afro to offer free access at its parks for Juneteenth on Saturday.

There will be no fees for park entrance, parking, dogs, horses, boat launching and fishing, according to the district. The fee waiver does not cover swimming, camping, reservable picnic facilities, state fees — such as fishing licenses — and concessions, such as the Tilden Merry-Go-Round and Redwood Valley Railway steam rain.

“There is no better place than parks to reflect on Juneteenth, the end of slavery, and today’s ongoing social justice issues,” said district Board President Dee Rosario in a news release. “The District embraces diversity, inclusion and promotes equal access for all.”

The holiday falls on Saturday this year and is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, according to Juneteenth.com. It is “a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings.” In recent years, Juneteenth “commemorates African-American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.”

Juneteenth is held on June 19 because that was the date in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were free. Many of the slaves in Texas had not known of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had actually given them freedom more than two years earlier.

Outdoor Afro is calling for people to spent 2.5 hours in nature in memory of the 2.5 years that those slaves went without knowing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The organization seeks to encourage 50,000 people to step outside across the country.

“We are thrilled that many local business leaders have joined this commemoration to reflect on what freedom means, and we are grateful for the Park District offering this free day in the parks,” stated Rue Mapp, founder & CEO of Outdoor Afro, in the statement. “We encourage all to connect with the healing power of nature on this day and every day.”

Find your nearest East Bay Regional Park District park here.