A crowd of people gathered at Southern Oregon University in Ashland on Thursday for the second year celebrating Juneteenth.
Ashland City Council Member Gina DuQuenne spoke at SOU’s Juneteenth flag raising on Thursday.
“When I think about the magnitude of courage, resilience, fortitude our ancestors had, it reminds me that we come from the best of the best,” DuQuenne said.
In Ashland, a Juneteenth festival featuring food and entertainment will take place on Sunday at Ashland Creek Park from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The event doubles as a fundraiser for a permanent art installation reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement.
Cassie Preskenis from the Ashland public arts committee described the planned sculpture which will replace the “say their names memorial” in Railroad Park, and includes the names of Black Americans that have been killed in recent years, including Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor.
“It’s a big sculpture of a winged man that has a woman’s face here in the heart,” she said. “And inside of the wings there’s a big tome book that’s gonna have all the names that are currently on the t-shirt fence.”
Parts of the current memorial have been ripped down by vandals multiple times in recent months.
Preskenis said local Black artist Micah BlackLight designed the sculpture. It’s going to cost around $160,000. Preskenis said the Ashland Parks Foundation has already pledged $16,000.
Other Juneteenth festivals are also planned this weekend in Medford, Eureka, Grants Pass and Coos Bay.
In Medford, Black Alliance & Social Empowerment, known as BASE Southern Oregon, is holding its third annual festival at Pear Blossom Park on Saturday from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m.
The group Black Humboldt is hosting an event in Eureka from noon till 10 p.m. at Halvorsen Park, featuring local Black vendors and performances.
Grants Pass will hold its first Juneteenth celebration this year, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Reinhart Park on June 19.
And a number of events are taking place in Coos Bay. A discussion at 11 a.m. on June 17 the Coos History Museum will feature Taylor Stewart from Oregon Remembrance Project. A reception follows catered by Black Market Gourmet at 4 p.m. featuring food, live music and a virtual exhibit.
