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Hundreds honor Juneteenth with celebrations and marches in SoCal
Hundreds of people gathered at events across Southern California to celebrate Juneteenth.
LOS ANGELES - Hundreds of people gathered at events across Southern California to celebrate Juneteenth.
A crowd of people celebrated Juneteenth at Leimert Park with a street festival including live music, food, and Black business owners selling merchandise.
Olympia Auset, the founder of Suprmarkt was at the event giving away produce, and food.
"We're giving away 100 bags of organic produce, 100 free burritos from City Vegan, and we partnered with Sweet Greens to give out Sweet Greens meals too," said Auset.
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Auset said Suprmarkt LA's goal is to provide affordable food.
"Our job is to make it easy and affordable for people to eat in food deserts. South Central has 1.3 million people and only 60 grocery stores so we're working to change that. Juneteenth is really close to our hearts. This celebration is really powerful and positive and it's a lot of people's first time being out and seeing each other so we just want to keep everybody fed," she said.
The founder of Helpful Harvesters, Courtney, was also at the event, with her friend, Perky.
"We help our neighbors by cultivating their crops and cleaning the area so it won't bring rodents and things like that to help our neighbors as well as to bring food into our neighborhood and among college students. The soap that I make is pretty much everything you can find in the kitchen," said Courtney.
Courtney said she got the idea of making soap from her grandmother who was a maid.
"If we realize the power of our black dollar then we would be way more advanced than where we are now, not that we are behind, you have to fall forward, but I believe if we keep this energy that's been happening in 2020, I think coronavirus, though it's very tragic obviously, it has led for us to really focus in on our own stuff and I believe that sustainability is on different levels, it's not just what you cultivate out of the Earth, but how you can financially sustain," Perky said.
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Hundreds of people also gathered in Lancaster for a protest and march.
"I'm so excited everybody's so nice to me, so friendly, and everybody is true to the cause. They're not just out here to be seen. We're serious about it. We want to change here in Lancaster, and the Antelope Valley and we're asking our mayor, city councilmen, the board of supervisors, all the powers that be to take us seriously and come down and see what the resolution is," said Damita Goodall.
Goodall is a disabled veteran who said she is a part of the Civil Rights era and is "proud of the young people coming together for change."
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