Juneteenth in Sunland Park

[Sharon W]

Against Bigotry, Responding with Action is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration in Sunland Park on Sat., June 19 from 10 am to 2 pm. Progressive groups can have booths, etc.

[Brian]

Thank you, Sharon, for letting us know about this event!  To date, there is nothing about the Juneteenth Celebration on ABRA's public Facebook account.  However, the abra_foothills Twitter account posted an announcement on May 27.  Click on this link and scroll down to the image above, then click on "Show this thread" for more information:

twitter.com/abrafoothills

[Brian]

That's the latest flyer posted by abra_foothills for the event this Saturday.  For those who don't know, sound systems started in Jamaica in the 1970's with neighborhood DJ's playing records and toasting over the music for dances and parties.  But what's a Self Defense mini-Bazaar?  Anyway, it's sad that they gave the wrong ZIP code for Sunland a second time -- it's actually 91040.

[Sharon W]

The Altadena Historical Society is celebrating the extraordinary legacy of Ellen Garrison Clark, a Black female civil rights activist and educator on Juneteenth starting at 11 am.
Born in the mid-19th century to a father that escaped slavery, Ellen spent her life as a leader in the fight against slavery and an inspiring educator who touched the lives of countless people who were formerly enslaved.

Historical records show that Ellen passed away in 1892 and was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Altadena’s Mountain View Cemetery. Join us as we celebrate her life and lay a marker on her grave so that she will not be forgotten.

www.altadenahistoricalsociety.org/june-19-2021-a-celebration-of-ellen-garrison-clark/

[Brian]

Kudos to the fine folks of ABRA and affiliated groups -- including both gentlemen named Eric, their family and friends -- for hosting a wonderful Juneteenth celebration at Sunland Park, the first in Sunland-Tujunga history. They set up tables in the expansive shade of the southwest corner of Foothill and Fenwick bearing food from Ranch Side Café in Lake View Terrace, owned by African Americans, and a sound system playing mostly old school reggae and rock steady music from Jamaica. Another display highlighted the work of STVU, Sunland-Tujunga Voices United, which was founded last year by local youths.  I bought a black ABRA t-shirt for $10, an unreasonably low price so I gave them $20.  At least three dozen people enjoyed the festivities while Anni and I were there between noon and 2 p.m.

Thankfully, Sharon and Bill were there as well.  Even though they're Glendale residents, they're more plugged in to what's going on in my hometown than I am because of their long affiliations with local activists (and their access to non-public spaces on Facebook).  Sharon introduced me to Matt, who has undertaken a successful one-man crusade to get dumped trash picked up by the city, and to Claire, a member of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council (who it should be said was attending the event in a personal capacity).  No doubt, future threads in the Community section will result from meeting those great people on Saturday.

[Sharon W]

It was a great event, I'm so glad to have the two groups mingle! I handed out several of the Montrose Peace Vigil business cards and talked up the Montrose Christmas Parade. Hopefully it will be held this year as long as the pandemic continues to wind down. We joined the ABRA table at the Juneteenth Freedom March & Block Party Celebration, starting at 4:30 p.m. at Charles White Park, 77 Mountain View St., Altadena. This free event, sponsored by My TRIBE Rise, includes a march, live music and dancing, speakers, guided meditation, art and poetry. Food will be available for purchase. stayhappening.com

This was a much bigger event with live music, awards given out by State Senator Anthony Portantino, and booths for many local non-profits. ABRA was next to a group of high school students promoting composting. We got BBQ brisket sandwiches from Rodney's Rib's catering truck which sometimes parks on Foothill in Tujunga. We ran into an old friend from the Pasadena ACLU, gathering signatures for a Pasadena renter's rights petition, disappointed we were from Glendale, LA, and unincorporated La Crescenta. Bill saw a member of LA Co Bicycle Coalition who used to table at Glendale Peace Vigil movie events early in the century. We came home exhausted but really enjoyed getting out.