Motorcade kicks off weekend of Juneteenth celebrations

A motorcade drove through Long Beach Friday, June 18 to kick off a weekend of celebration for Juneteenth planned by Urban Society Long Beach and CRay Project.

“The holiday is about the liberation of Black people in this country,” Westley Porter said. “Even though we’re, you know, we’re still having our issues right now. But there are some things for us to celebrate right now.”

Vehicles gathered in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Long Beach on Friday, decorating their cars with markers, signs and balloons.

From left to right, Megan Greenidge, Brymm Turner, Nigel Lifsey, Westley Porter, Michele Ocen, Chatiera Ray, and LaRonica Southerland, who are all members of Urban Society LB or the Cray Project, pose for a picture in front the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue at MLK Park on June 18, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

The Juneteenth motorcade was started last year during the pandemic as a way to celebrate the holiday while staying socially distanced.

“We saw a lot of cars going around for the birthdays and so we were like ‘Oh let’s take that u;idea and go ahead and move forward in doing that in like a cultural parade with our cars,'” Chatiera Cookie Ray, creative director of CRay Project, said.

Juneteenth commemorates when the last African Americans kept in chattel slavery in the United States were finally freed by Union soldiers.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted in 1863, African Americans were still enslaved in states that were under Confederate control. The last enslaved African Americans were held in Texas until Union troops arrived on June 19, 1865 and informed them that they were now free.

Ronnae Williamson, who won the best-decorated car during the car caravan, adds balloons to the outside of her SUV while her daughters assist at the Juneteeth celebration on June 18, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

Ronnae Williamson returns to MLK Park at the end of the car caravan for the Juneteeth celebration on June 18, 2021. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

“The original Juneteenth was what—156 years ago, right? And we’re still fighting for equality and social justice and fighting against racism even 156 years later,” Nigel Lifesy of Urban Society Long Beach said.

Juneteenth became an official day of celebration in the city on Tuesday, June 1 after a unanimous vote by Long Beach City Council.

It was recognized as a federal national holiday on June 17, 2021.

While organizers of the local celebration said that it’s important to take time to celebrate, there is still a lot of work to do in regards to racial equality and Black liberation.

“They can’t just give us a holiday without really giving us what we have been asking for for years,” Ray said. “That’s cute, we’re happy, we acknowledge it. But at the same time, there’s still work that has to be done.”

To keep up with upcoming Juneteenth celebrations in Long Beach this weekend, follow @urbansocietylb and @crayproject on Instagram.