Juneteenth Santa Barbara “Joy For the People” Block Party, Saturday June 15, 2024

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SANTA BARBARA, CA—Juneteenth Santa Barbara welcomes the community to the seventh year of celebrating Juneteenth in South Santa Barbara County! 

The free block party celebration will be on Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., in historically Black Santa Barbara, also known as the Funk Zone, on the 100 block of Gray Avenue in Santa Barbara.

The celebration includes local live performances, the return of the Black Artisan Market, The Indy Parenting kids zone with Princess Tiana from Princess & the Frog and the Santa Barbara Public Library on the Go Van, Basketball Shooting Competition and so much more! As this is the first celebration without our founding Elder Sojourner “Joy” Kincaid Rolle, our theme honors her and her legacy: Joy for the People — Juneteenth SB partners with logistics and event consultant Melanin Culture Co. to organize the annual event. 

Block Party Performers & Vendors

Coming to the stage for this event is local Black talent Vivian Storm as our MC, Talitha Blackwell, Pastor David Moore, Aria Elan, Kat Lincoln, Brayell, The AD Project, P Money Experience, and The Knew Vibe, with DJ Tempest. 

The Black Artisan Market includes Baked by the Hoods, Big Mama’s Preserves, Cookie Plug, Country Gal Clothing, Dawn Carlson Designs, Dez Porter, Elf Kraft, Gypsy Moon House, Healing Justice SB, My Mother is A Superhero, Moore on Health, Riah Safari, ShevaShea, Steven Harper, To Live A Colorful Life, and Warrior Mother Essential Oils & Blends. 

Our community nonprofits that will be tabling include Austin Jones Realty/Investor, Future Leaders of America, Girl Scouts of Central Coast, The Inclusion School, MLK Jr. Santa Barbara, NAACP Santa Barbara, Planned Parenthood, Sansum Clinic now part of Sutter Health, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics with Voter Registration, Starfish Connection Talk O Truck, and UCSB Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Nu Nu Chapter and Xi Kappa Omega Chapter. 

There will also be food trucks and vendors, such as Dave’s Dogs, Fernando’s Churros and Deli Inc., Mister Softee, Mony’s Tacos, and Soul Bites. 

Launch of the State of the Black Santa Barbara County Community Survey

Juneteenth SB will launch the State of the Black Community Survey at the Block Party. This comprehensive survey, which will close on October 1, helps gather data about the Black community across Santa Barbara County. UCSB Center for Evaluation is facilitating the survey, and the Santa Barbara Foundation and NAACP Santa Maria—Lompoc are sponsors. 

Sustainable Travel to Juneteenth Santa Barbara

Please make a conscious choice to have a lower environmental impact by traveling to Juneteenth SB by bike, bus, or train. This upcoming weekend will be busy with UCSB graduation. We encourage you to check out Amtrak if you are traveling from out of town, Santa Barbara MTD if you are coming from within Goleta to Carpinteria, or if you can consider biking as MOVE Santa Barbara County will valet your bike for FREE at the Block Party.

• Peace of Mind: Leave your bike with our trusty MOVE Santa Barbara County bike valets, who will keep it safe and secure throughout the event.
• Skip the Hassle: No more searching for crowded bike racks or worrying about finding a safe spot to lock your bike.
• Arrive & Depart Quickly: The bike valet allows for quick drop-off and pick-up of your bike, keeping you at the heart of the Juneteenth celebration.

Juneteenth Santa Barbara History

Federally recognized in June 2021, Black/African American communities across the country have marked Juneteenth with celebrations and organizing efforts centered on supporting and uplifting Black life. Chiany Dri, Simone Ruskamp, and Jordan Killebrew brought a reiteration of Juneteenth (in its seventh year) back to Santa Barbara, as several Black/African American Elders have celebrated in our region in the past. 

In 2018, Ruskamp, Dri, and Killebrew gathered to celebrate Juneteenth at El Centro on the lower west side of Santa Barbara. This first event featured home-cooked Soul Food, Black-centered programming, and, most importantly, a safe space for the community to celebrate Black culture. Juneteenth SB partnered with the Santa Barbara Public Library the following year, where the event grew to 400 people. In 2020, due to COVID-19, the celebration was a virtual event with over 13,000 viewers and featured videos of Black community members sharing their stories, showcasing their work, and their collective histories. 

In 2021, Juneteenth SB partnered with Healing Justice Santa Barbara to put on a series of events in-person and virtual events and the historic opening of the MELANIN Black Artist Gallery at 833 State St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. 

The 2022-2024 has been Block Party celebrations that were moved to Grey Avenue in the Funk Zone and what we call Historically Black Santa Barbara. The events expanded to include a large stage, more local performers, the Black Artisan Market, and more. In 2022, the theme was Caring for The People, and just under 3,000 people attended. In 2023, the theme was Nourishing The People, and over 3,000 people attended; this year, the 2024 event theme is Joy for The People; we changed the date to a Saturday and expect 4,000 – 5,000 attendees. 

Thank you to our 2024 Community Partners (Sponsors)

Special thanks to everyone who contributes to making this day possible. It truly takes a community!

Thank you to our Platinum Community Partner, the City of Santa Barbara, and the California Arts Council.  

Thank you to our Gold Sponsors, the City of Goleta, the County of Santa Barbara, Cox Communication, Fielding University, Healing Justice SB, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and Santa Barbara Independent & Indy Parenting. 

We would also like to thank our Silver Community Partners, Golden1 Credit Union, Island View Outfitters, Sparks Creative Events, Sansom Clinic, now part of Sutter Health, Starfish Connection, along with the Bronze Community Partners: American Riviera Bank, The Fund for Santa Barbara, High Desert Screen Printing & Island View Outfitters, McCune Foundation, Montecito Bank & Trust, Oniracom, Pacific Pride Foundation, SBCC Foundation, SURJ Santa Barbara, and Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara. 

This year, we added a Grass Roots Community Partner tier, including the County of Santa Barbara Women’s Commission, Future Leaders of America, Moms Demand Action, County of Santa Barbara District 2 Supervisor Laura Capps, and The VOID SB Gym. 

We are also grateful for our donors! Thank you to Hillary Allen, Jett Black-Maertz, Kristin Bollingmo, Lucille Boss, LA Clinton, Caylee Daniel, Jillian Ellis, Jesse Felix, Melissa Hansen, Lily Heidger, Nellie Hill, Emily Izmirian, Joan K. Jones, Kaylan Lamb, Chelsea Lancaster, Etta Murray, Michele Osborne, Sarah Payne, Diana Collins Puente, Allison Quijano, Arriana Rabago, Quetzal Sanchez, Tamesha Schumacher, Jessica Self, Erin Wilson and Laura Wooster Dorfman.

Thank you Community Partners and donors! See you all on Saturday!