Oakland Juneteenth celebration features culture, education, community
OAKLAND -- The annual FAM BAM! Juneteenth celebration brought festive crowds to Oakland's Lake Merritt amphitheater area Saturday.
Oakland resident Brandon Johnson and his family immersed themselves in the festivities.
"It's great to be here with family and see different Black families from the community and to see all the community coming together and having a good time and enjoying this weekend," Johnson said.
This was the Johnson family's first time attending the festival since moving here four years ago.
"We're new to the area. Came from the D.C. area so the kids are excited to feel the culture and learn about different parts that they might not be connected to before," Johnson added.
During their experience at the festival, the Johnson family met Deborah "Ashay" Day, owner of Ashay by the Bay. Day's bookstore specializes in African American and multicultural children's books, offering a resources to educate younger generations about Juneteenth and African American heritage.
Day showed off a book titled "Free at Last, a Poem," specifically related to Juneteenth along with another of her favorites: "Dear Black Child," which delivers a powerful, uplifting message.
"Our kids need to know about their culture and history and it's so important for them to know how great they are. We didn't have the books at one time and now we got them so we gotta get them into schools," Day said.
As Juneteenth continues to gain recognition and significance nationwide, events like the celebration at Lake Merritt play a crucial role in preserving and sharing African American heritage and history.
This year is the 14th anniversary of the celebration, which ran from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. It featured 100 Black African food and merchandise vendors, a skating rink, onsite health and wellness workshops, drum and dance performances and other attractions.
"I think that's the biggest thing about Juneteenth. It's for Black people all around the country, around the world, to just enjoy with each other and every part of the diaspora," Johnson said.