Hundreds celebrate Juneteenth at San Francisco's parade, festival

San Francisco celebrated the Juneteenth holiday with a parade and festival along Market Street Saturday morning. The event has grown over the years, and while the holiday commemorates the ending of slavery in America, it took a while for that promise to become a reality.

As the parade marchers began assembling at 2nd and Market, a man named Goody was already set up, selling t-shirts calling Juneteenth "the real Independence Day."

"It's kind of given to us.  Like, y'all have a day.  You know, Juneteenth," he said.  "It's our 4th of July.  Our Independence Day.  It's, like, a separate type thing."

The Juneteenth parade has existed for a long time, but it was mostly a homegrown event on other streets of the City.  But this is the fourth year that San Francisco held it on Market Street, the same location as all of the City's other big celebrations.  And that meant something to a young man who called himself "Psalms."

"I got strong feelings about this.  It just shows the city supports us.  Especially with the parade," he said.  "It gives me a sense of direction, a sense of purpose, you know?  It helps me feel closer to my community.  So, yeah, I'm appreciative of this."

Hundreds of people danced, rode on floats, and rumbled down Market in classic cars, sometimes with few people on the sidewalk watching.  And event producer Tamara Walker said there was reason for that.

"Everyone here in San Francisco, African Americans, wants to be in the parade," she said.  "I'm always, like, you got to watch the parade, too. We all can't be in the parade."

But Walker said the message she hoped people would take from the event is summed up in the slogan, "Freedom Then, Freedom Now."

"'Freedom Then, Freedom Now' means that we're still fighting now for the equality and equity," she said.  "We helped build it here.  So, we are still fighting the fight for freedom.  I would like people to take that away."

But Juneteenth isn't just an event for African Americans, it's them as a free people.  It commemorates June 19th, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to finally enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Lincoln issued two and half years earlier.

"He gave the order for the troops to go to Galveston, Texas, to make sure that they understood that this is the United States," said SF Archbishop Gregory Richardson.  "Nothing separates America.  We are one."

"So, this day is a celebration of us as people," said Goody.  

That's why he calls Juneteenth the real Independence Day.  Although he said he's not sure that the country's commitments to African Americans are currently being backed up with action.

"Yeah, we've come to be numb, actually, to that point.  You know, promises, promises," he said.  "We need to all come as one.  We need to come for what's been promised to us, you know, as people.  Which I don't think will ever happen, you know, for real to tell you the truth."

But DeAngelo Hall wasn't as pessimistic.  He's a district manager for Target, one of the event's sponsors.  And with big names starting to back the celebration, Juneteenth is growing, with the hope of becoming another signature tradition in the City.

"It feels like the celebration is what it should be!" said Hall.  "It should be celebrated.  We should be excited.  We have so much in the Bay Area that represents Juneteenth, Pride, anything you can think of.  So, for us to all come together and celebrate like this is amazing."

A festival at the foot of Market Street followed Saturday morning's parade.  And the citywide celebration was set to continue with a Juneteenth Father's Day party at Gilman Park in the City's Bayview District.