Santa Cruz Celebrates Juneteenth

SANTA CRUZ, CA — It has been celebrated for decades, but Juneteenth will ring in only its second year as a federal holiday on Monday.

Juneteenth is a day that commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, got word that the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted — they were the last such people to get word of their freedom. The holiday has also been called Freedom Day or Emancipation day.

Santa Cruz will celebrate Juneteenth with a host of events Saturday and Sunday that meditate on the theme of "liberation." Events including a beach hike and meditation, and a giant celebration with music, soul food, craft booths, kid's activities, and a basketball skills contest.

On Sunday at 9, Black Surf Santa Cruz will host an annual Liberation Paddle Out celebration at Cowell Beach. See here to RSVP.

At a time still to be determined, there will be a Juneteenth Open Mic and Cabaret event.

For more information, visit santacruzjuneteenth.com. See here for a full list of Bay Area Juneteenth events.

Last year, Congress and President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday. It was the first time the U.S. government had designated a new federal holiday since approving Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

This year, nearly 20 states were expected to close state offices and give most of their public employees time off.

California’s AB-1655 passed the Assembly and moved to the Senate this month, and individual cities such as San Francisco and Sacramento have already signed proclamations making Juneteenth an official holiday.

The day is typically recognized on June 19, but since that falls on a Sunday this year, it will be observed on Monday to give workers a paid day off.

Most stores and supermarkets will be open with regular hours, but the following institutions will be closed:

• Bank of America
• JPMorgan Chase
• Well Fargo
• Nike
• Adidas
• United States Postal Office
• Nonessential government offices
• New York Stock Exchange

Kat Schuster and The Associated Press contributed to this report.