Two Riverside organizations are hosting Juneteenth celebrations this week.
The Inland Civil Rights organization will present "Rhythm in Action: A Celebration of Juneteenth" on June 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. combining storytelling, live music, and celebration of Black culture. In partnership with Empower You Edutainment, the program features musical performances, spoken word, and stories highlighting local leaders from the Homegrown Heroes Exhibition.
The B.L.A.C.K. Collective will host its 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 21, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Hunt Park, featuring historical reenactments, ceremonies, and performances by local Black artists. The event will include portrayals of freedom fighters, along with Black vendors, performers, and community voices.
Empower You Edutainment is a nonprofit founded in 2016 by Executive Director Sharron Lewis that uses performing arts to promote resilience and empowerment among youth and young adults. The organization's mission is to break down social and economic barriers through song, dance, spoken word, music, and theater.
"Our Juneteenth celebration is not a party for freedom that was 'given,' but a call to confront the truth: liberation has always been something we've had to fight for, and continue to fight for," said Denise C. Booker, chief operating officer of The B.L.A.C.K. Collective.
The organization frames the celebration as both remembrance and resistance, opening with an African libation ceremony to honor ancestors.
"We are hosting historical reenactments of freedom fighters like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, because their struggle is not over," Booker said. "We open with an African libation ceremony because our ancestors are with us, and we honor them鈥攏ot just with words, but with action, accountability, and cultural truth."
Booker said current conditions facing many Black families contradict true freedom.
"The conditions many Black families in Riverside and across America live in are not freedom," she said. "We are tired of empty gestures, forgotten promises, and the illusion of inclusion."
The event centers Black-owned businesses and performers as what organizers call "economic and cultural resistance."
"We are building a community rooted in self-determination鈥攏ot waiting for systems to save us, but saving each other," Booker said.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of slavery. The news came more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The holiday became a federal observance in 2021, when President Biden signed legislation establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day.
The B.L.A.C.K. Collective partners with Iota Phi Theta Beta Zeta Omega Chapter to organize its annual celebration, which has grown over five years in Riverside. The Inland Civil Rights organization collaborates with Empower You Edutainment on its cultural program.
"Juneteenth is a sacred reminder: freedom is unfinished," Booker said. "Liberation isn't a moment. It's a movement. And we're still in it."
The organization invites community members to "listen, witness, and commit" rather than simply attend.
More Information: Rhythm in Action: A Celebration of Juneteenth takes place Thursday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Civil Rights Institute of Inland Southern California (3933 Mission Inn Ave.). The 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration follows on Saturday, June 21, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Hunt Park (4015 Jackson St.).
The City of Riverside Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department has opened seven public pools for the 2025 summer season, running June 9 through August 14.
