Learn More About Juneteenth SB "Hope for The People" Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2025
CONTACT: juneteenthsbc@gmail.com
JUNETEENTH SANTA BARBARA
“HOPE FOR THE PEOPLE”
CELEBRATION, SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025
Celebrating the Emancipation of formerly enslaved Black/African Americans
SANTA BARBARA, CA — Juneteenth Santa Barbara welcomes the community to the eighth annual Juneteenth celebration in South Santa Barbara County!
Bring a lawn chair, blankets, and the family to enjoy a free celebration on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Plaza Del Mar/Band Shell Park at Castillo Street and Cabrillo/Shoreline Streets. Come stay a while and enjoy the day!
The celebration includes local live performances, the return of the Black Artisan Market, the Indy Parenting kids zone with 805 Body Art face painting, the Santa Barbara Public Library on the Go Van, and so much more! This year's theme invokes the emotion of hope, one that finds strength in community gathering together to celebrate freedom. Juneteenth SB has partnered with Leticia Resch for event logistics to plan a safe, fun, and successful event.
We also want to share that Juneteenth Lompoc is having their event on South H Street on Saturday, June 14, from 11 am to 5 pm. We are happy to see more Juneteenth celebrations in Santa Barbara County!
Performers & Vendors
Joining us on stage for this event are local talent DJ PTRK LMR, Pastor David Moore, Poet Yutopia Essex, Poet Ariel Phoenix, Dirtydom & The Vibe, EvoLucians, P$ Experience, Kat Lincoln & Sin Palabras, and The Knew Vibe.
The Black Artisan Market includes Carrie’s Daughter BUnique, Dawn Carlson, Gypsy Moon House, Healing & Feel Good Candles, Healing Justice SB, Howeventful, Kadence Naturals, Kat Lincoln & Sin Palabras, Moore on Health, Myles BBQ, Planet Protectors Santa Barbara, Reyna, Riah Safari, Shirely Girl Boutique, Sweet Haul, Tracy, To Live A Colorful Life, Warrior Mother Essential Oils & Blends, The Whole 9, and The Wisdom Center.
Our community nonprofits that will be tabling include Community Environmental Council, MLK Jr. SB, Moms Demand Action Santa Barbara, NAACP Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Public Library/Library on the Go, and Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics.
For the first time, the event will feature a beer and wine garden for attendees 21 years of age and older. Muni Wine/Potek Winery and Third Window Brewing Company will be pouring from 12 pm to 5 pm. There will also be food trucks and vendors, such as A & R Catering, Mony’s Tacos, and Reality Eatz.
Closing of the State of the Black Santa Barbara County Community Survey
Juneteenth SB launched the State of the Black Community Survey at the Juneteenth SB “Joy for the People” Block Party last year and has kept the comprehensive survey open for a year, closing on June 30, 2025. The survey helps gather data about the Black community across Santa Barbara County. UCSB Center for Evaluation is facilitating the study, and the Santa Barbara Foundation and NAACP Santa Maria—Lompoc are sponsors.
Sustainable Travel to Juneteenth Santa Barbara
Please make a conscious choice to have a lower environmental impact by traveling to Juneteenth SB by bike, bus, or train. This weekend will be busy with UCSB graduation. We encourage you to check out Amtrak if you are traveling from out of town. Alternatively, consider using Santa Barbara MTD if you are coming from within Goleta to Carpinteria, or consider biking.
National History of Juneteenth
During Juneteenth, we continue a Black/African American tradition of celebrating the abolishment of enslavement with interactive art, songs, food, and our vibrant Black/African American community.
We are reminded that the first Juneteenth celebration on June 19th, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, marked the day Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3 enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free,” the general noted. “This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”
Before this act, Texas, along with several communities in the American South, still invested in the economics of slavery. These areas that were isolated politically and geographically from much of the country resisted emancipation and continued the practice of enslavement.
“Although General Granger and his news of freedom were celebrated,” said Ruskamp. “The full text of the order made clear that progress would be slow going, as enslaved people were encouraged to stay and work for their former owners and instructed to refrain from idleness. The first Juneteenth celebrated the federal government for acknowledging Black personhood and intentionally made space for Black folks to organize and plan for the long struggle towards full citizenship. I’m passionate about seeing this tradition continued in Santa Barbara as it is also an acknowledgment of the work still needing to be done to create more equitable communities.”
Juneteenth Santa Barbara History
Federally recognized in June 2021, Black/African American communities across the country have marked Juneteenth with celebrations and organizing efforts centered on supporting and uplifting Black life. Chiany Dri, Simone Ruskamp, and Jordan Killebrew brought a reiteration of Juneteenth (in its eight year) back to Santa Barbara, as several Black/African American Elders have celebrated in our region in the past.
In 2018, Ruskamp, Dri, and Killebrew gathered to celebrate Juneteenth at El Centro on the lower west side of Santa Barbara. This first event featured home-cooked Soul Food, Black-centered programming, and, most importantly, a safe space for the community to celebrate Black culture. Juneteenth SB partnered with the Santa Barbara Public Library the following year, where the event grew to 400 people. In 2020, due to COVID-19, the celebration was a virtual event with over 13,000 viewers and featured videos of Black community members sharing their stories, showcasing their work, and their collective histories.
In 2021, Juneteenth SB partnered with Healing Justice Santa Barbara to put on a series of events in-person and virtual events and the historic opening of the MELANIN Black Artist Gallery at 833 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
The 2022-2024 Block Party celebrations that were moved to Grey Avenue in the Funk Zone and what we call Historically Black Santa Barbara. The events expanded to include a large stage, more local performers, the Black Artisan Market, and more. In 2022, the theme was Caring for The People, and just under 3,000 people attended. In 2023, the theme was Nourishing The People, and over 3,000 people attended; this year, the 2024 event theme is Joy for The People; we changed the date to a Saturday and expect 4,000 - 5,000 attendees. This years celebration will be at a new location, Plaza Del Mar Park allowing us more space for friends and families to spread out on a blanket, under natural shade.
Thank you to our 2025 Community Partners (Sponsors)
Special thanks to everyone who contributes to making this day possible. It truly takes a community! Donations can still be made to Juneteenth Santa Barbara—DONATE TODAY!
Thank you to our FLOWER Level Community Partner, the City of Santa Barbara.
Thank you to our LEAF Level Community Partners, the City of Goleta, and the Santa Barbara Independent and Indy Parenting.
We would also like to thank our BRANCH Level Community Partners, Amigo Party Rentals, Healing Justice SB, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and Sparks Creative Events.
Additional thanks goes to our TRUNK Level Community Partners, American Riviera Bank, Chaucer’s Books, County of Santa Barbara - Supervisor Laura Capps & Supervisor Roy Lee, Gold Coast Toyota Dealers, Island View Outfitters | High Desert Print Co., McCune Foundation, Montecito Bank & Trust, Oniracom, The Fund for Santa Barbara, Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, and Yetz’s Bagels & Deli.
The work cannot be done without our SEED Level Community Partners, AG Security Protections, Indivisible Santa Barbara, Pacific Pride Foundation, Planned Parenthood of California Central Coast, SBCC Foundation, SURJ Santa Barbara, and Sansom Clinic, now part of Sutter Health.
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About Juneteenth Santa Barbara
Juneteenth Santa Barbara (JSB) celebrates the national recognition of Black Independence Day in Santa Barbara. It is a collaborative effort to showcase Black culture, talent, and joy in Santa Barbara County. Now in its eighth event, the celebration centers around a free community event that will be held at Plaza Del Mar/Band Shell Park in Santa Barbara, CA.
The community is invited to enjoy live local music, dancing, poetry, spoken word, art exhibitions, storytelling, a kids' zone, a beer and wine garden, and food trucks. We will also feature the Black Artisan Market, which showcases Black-led and Black-serving community organizations.
Year-round, Juneteenth Santa Barbara utilizes its platform to uplift all Black-led and Black-serving organizations. JSB is key in supporting Black History Month events, the Community Calendar, and meetings.
We look forward to bringing joy to our community by celebrating local Black efforts and opportunities to engage with meaningful partnerships and relationships. We hope you join in on the fun!
To learn more, please go to juneteenthsb.org.
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