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Community Members Invited to Join Juneteenth Conversation

Jul 21, 2023 11:48AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Editor's note: Those who were unable to attend the July 22 event are encouraged to take a survey that can be found at www.manhattanbeach.gov/survey.

Manhattan Beach community members are invited to join in a conversation on July 22 about a proposed Juneteenth celebration for 2024.

The Juneteenth "listening session" will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the Manhattan Beach Library. The event is free and RSVPs are not required.

The event will also include speakers Dr. Anthony Lee, Brandy Williams, and poet Hope Anita Smith, as well as African drumming and refreshments.

City Prepares for 2024 Juneteenth Celebration


Juneteenth (June 19) is the oldest known celebration to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, enslaved people finally received news from Union soldiers that they had been set free by the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier. 

Juneeteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 and a California state holiday in 2023.

Manhattan Beach's decision to hold a major Juneteenth event in 2024 came about in April 2023. 

At the time, the Manhattan Beach City Council and residents engaged in an emotional debate about whether the city should hold a Juneteenth event in 2023 at Bruce's Beach Park.

The question drew a variety of comments from residents who said that Bruce's Beach Park was too small and ill-equipped to hold a special event - and that such events were loud and disruptive to neighbors - as well as residents who said that the momentum from the recent Bruce's Beach apology should be continued with a Juneteenth celebration at the park.

In the end, councilmembers agreed that if the city were to do an event, it should be done "the right way" with enough time for thoughtful planning, and potentially in multiple places around the city, including Polliwog Park and Civic Center Plaza.

City Council members directed the Parks and Recreation staff and the Parks and Rec Commission to come up with a comprehensive plan for a city-wide Juneteenth event in 2024. 

Saturday's "listening session" is intended to inform future planning for that event.


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