Juneteenth celebrations held in Oxnard with physical distancing in mind

OXNARD, Calif. - Oxnard's annual Juneteenth celebration in Plaza Park was canceled, but that didn't stop people from celebrating in another park.

Volunteers set up food, art, music and more at Lion's Park in Oxnard on Saturday afternoon.

They made sure to keep tables and tents physically distanced to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

One volunteer was cooking up gumbo, another was preparing to serve a freshly made watermelon drink.

Shea Made said, "Today is a day to celebrate the freedom of our ancestors."

Her friend Melinda Allen agreed, and said, "It is a huge thing, it is a big celebration and I feel that it needs to be celebrated just as all these other holidays."

Participants would like to see it become a Federal holiday and educators would like students to learn that June 19th marks the shocking day slaves in Texas learned that slavery had been outlawed two and half years before they got the news.