Second Annual Juneteenth Block Party dances back into Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Annual Juneteenth Block Party danced back into Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone for its second year.

Sunday was a day of freedom, joy, and remembrance for not only for the black community, but also for those who came to celebrate a major milestone in American history — Freedom Day, also known as Juneteenth.

“We should celebrate the freedom of all people and especially those who are of African descent and those who are definitely descendants of the enslaved Africans that were here,” said Rosalyn Collins, who has been living in Santa Barbara for 30 years.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation, which promised freedom to slaves, went into effect in January of 1863, enforcement of the proclamation generally relied upon the advancement of Union troops.

“The Union Army had to march from state to state to help free the rest of us. And so it took them until 1865 to get to the state of Texas. At that time, there were over 200,000 African-Americans in the state of Texas that were still enslaved and on plantations,” said President of Santa Barbara’s NAACP Connie Alexander.

Juneteenth commemorates the day that word reached Galveston, Texas that the slaves were freed. What was once considered to be a Texas holiday is now national one.

“To have Texan parents and family and then knowing that everyone now knows about Freedom Day, about Juneteenth, it delights me. It really does,” said Rosalyn Collins.

Event organizers say hosting the Juneteenth celebration in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone which is a historically black neighborhood is extra special.

“We like to say that we're retaking the funk zone and celebrating and hopefully doing our ancestors and our elders proud,” said Juneteenth Santa Barbara Event Organizer Jordan Killebrew.

“Let's get together and celebrate the history that we've been through, but also where we're at, the community that we can and do build and also just where we can be,” said Isaiah Jones, who helps UCSB Students with racial trauma at Healing Space Santa Barbara.

Visitors hope that events like the Juneteenth Block Party will continue to provide visibility for the local black community.