As thousands of Black community members and allies across Southern California honor Juneteenth, many say this year’s celebration has taken a different tone — one of resilience.

With the Trump administration’s efforts to cut diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across government and in higher education, and the removal of marginalized people’s stories — including Black leaders throughout history — from federal websites, many worry the future of Juneteenth is uncertain.

Juneteenth commemorates the formal end of slavery after the Civil War, when the last enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas were notified of their freedom on June 19, 1865 — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

Today, June 19 marks a celebration of freedom, cultural heritage, and the contributions of African American communities to the U.S. It became a federally recognized holiday in 2021.

Though some worried over the federal anti-DEI sentiment, many organizers and community members say there is a renewed emphasis to honor Black history, struggle and achievement. Across the Southland, many attending and planning Juneteenth events this year — including in Pomona, Buena Park, Santa Ana, Long Beach and south Los Angeles — say that focusing on Black joy and excellence is a crucial part of this year’s celebrations.

From lively community festivals to art exhibitions, events before, on and after June 19 reflected the community’s desire for togetherness — in an increasingly divided world.

Juneteenth is “a time to reflect on the legacy of resilience and resistance, and to stand together in recognition of the progress made and the work that still remains,” said Hilbert J. Contreras, president of San Bernardino Valley College, in a statement.

The college hosted its annual “Juneteenth Jam” event on campus on Wednesday, which included a screening of the movie “Sinners,” soul food, live music, and history presentations from the SBVC Umoja community.

Contreras said that San Bernardino Valley College is “honored” to observe Juneteenth as a space to reflect, bringing together students and community members across the region to celebrate Black history.

The L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation recognized Juneteenth with two weekends of free events at local parks in Sylmar, Azusa, Cerritos, Sun Village and Compton. The celebrations included cultural workshops, sports tournaments, live performances and food, “all designed to uplift community spirit,” according to a news release.

“Juneteenth is a powerful opportunity to honor the legacy, culture, and resilience of Black Americans,” said department director Norma E. García-González in the release. “These events are about more than celebration—they’re about connection, education, and amplifying the voices of our communities. We are proud to open our parks as spaces of unity and empowerment.”

Pastor Rob Shropshire is the founder of LOVEFOURUS, a group of Inland Empire business owners who are passionate about bringing the Black community together. This year, the group celebrated Juneteenth with a week-long series of community events around San Bernardino, leading up to the organization’s 3rd annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration on June 19.

Shropshire admitted that getting financial support at these events “has been challenging, especially this time around, under the Trump administration.” Because the holiday revolves “around Black history and Black people,” he said, there is almost always some pushback.

But honoring Juneteenth, he said, is still worth the effort — no matter what happens on the federal level.

“Nevertheless, we refuse to give up. We refuse to not celebrate. It wouldn’t matter if nobody showed up, we’re still going to celebrate, because it’s for the community.”

Referring to the National Park Service’s earlier alteration to its webpage about civil rights activist Harriet Tubman, Shropshire said that if someone “decided they want to erase history, (that) doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”

Shropshire said that he’s all too familiar with that feeling of being hidden. He promised to continue the work, honoring his late grandmother Louise Shropshire, a long-unnamed composer of the popular Civil Rights Movement hymn “We Shall Overcome.”

In February, President Trump marked Black History Month at the White House without a mention of DEI, which he has repeatedly called “discrimination.” The event seemed to clash with his executive order, issued early on in his presidency, to end DEI programs including “identity months” such as Black History, Women’s History, or Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage months.

Though some community leaders worried this year could be one of the last formally recognized Juneteenth holidays, in an anti-DEI Trump administration, many vowed to keep fighting.

Long Beach resident Carl Kemp sees Juneteenth as more than a sanctioned holiday, but a time for people to gather, rest and reflect. Kemp, who works at Long Beach City College as the director of public affairs and marketing, helped organize the 5th annual Juneteenth celebration in the city’s downtown area last weekend.

Last weekend’s mostly-peaceful “No Kings” anti-ICE protests had no effect on the June 14 celebration, which Kemp said was “the biggest crowd we’ve ever had.” Kemp said the Juneteenth event, which included diverse performers, vendors, art installations and community resources, was “one of the safest places for Black people in the region… like a Black family reunion.”

“No one here is worrying about anything negative; everyone is feeling a sense of peace, of joy. As I think about this first Juneteenth under the Trump administration, I think about what our event has been year after year to the community, and what it’s meant to be… a space where Black people — and people who love Black people — could celebrate joy, dignity, and excellence,” Kemp said.

That message — of rest, union, and joy as resistance — is “consistent no matter who is in the White Housel or what they might be trying to do to dismantle that unity or celebration of diversity.”

Kemp hopes people who have the day off will take time to reflect on the community’s past, present and future contributions to society. He pointed out how Juneteenth celebrates the end of Black free labor.

“Now more than ever, our community needs this joy. Being Black in America, you become used to swimming in more viscous waters… but Black people are the original people who make America great,” he said. “As we celebrate freedom on Juneteenth, and the gains Black people have made in this country, may we also remember there are people in this country who continue to make it great, by making those thin margins — and cheap labor — work.”

A June 19 celebration in Altadena will take on a resilient tenor after the devastation of the Eaton fire, organizers from the Altadena Historical Society said. The ticketed noon event at Loma Alta Park includes a special preview of its oral history video project, featuring stories from Eaton fire victims and Altadena residents.

Society president Veronica Jones called Juneteenth “another Independence Day” that takes center stage in Altadena, which historically has had a large Black population.

“As we remember Juneteenth, we remember the struggles and triumphs of those who came before us. That perseverance is important right now for Altadena,” Jones, 71, said. “Especially now with the fire, it’s more important that we tell our history and that we know what that history is, that we don’t leave things out — even the ugly things.”

Four local high school students — including one who lost their home in the fire — will be presented a scholarship award named after civil rights activist and educator Ellen Garrison Clark. On Juneteenth 2021, the Altadena Historical Society celebrated Clark’s legacy by marking her grave at the Mountain View Cemetery.

Some advocates brought up the state’s ongoing fight for reparations, which would involve California paying eligible Black residents descended from slaves, to atone for its history of institutional racism and discrimination.

Last June, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a series of bills addressing the state’s role in slavery, and set aside $12 million to spend on reparations legislation, but that movement has since stalled. Efforts to renew the movement have included several legislative bills, introduced and based on recommendations from the California Reparations Task Force, to address systemic harms and verify individuals’ lineage.

Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, a professor of sociology and African American Studies at UCLA and author of “Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation,” said that Juneteenth “was always meant to be accompanied by reparations.”

“Let us remember that until we have reparations, we are not fully experiencing the Juneteenth that the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (who introduced the resolution establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday) intended for us to have,” Hunter added.

Still, community leaders reflected on Juneteenth’s legacy, celebrated for decades long before becoming a holiday, and said that spirit isn’t going anywhere — no matter who is in office.

“For over 150 years, Juneteenth was kept alive by Black families and communities—even as textbooks and federal calendars ignored it,” said Glenn Harris, president of Washington D.C.-based nonprofit Race Forward, in a statement. “Juneteenth became a cultural and political force, not because the government officially recognized it, but because we told our story. They tried to silence us but we told our story anyway.”