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Local arts and community organizers are gearing up to host an array of performers and speakers this weekend in the region’s main event celebrating the end of slavery in the United States.
The Tri-Valley Juneteenth Festival has a jam-packed lineup aimed at showcasing Black voices, artists, organizations and businesses throughout the morning and afternoon on Saturday, followed by an evening dance battle.
The event is organized by Livermore Valley Arts and Tri-Valley for Black Lives (TV4BL), which was formed in 2020 and put on the first major Juneteenth event in the region that year.
“Tri-Valley for Black Lives is excited to be organizing our third annual Juneteenth Festival, to create and expand space for Black joy within our community,” TV4BL member Isaiah Campbell said. “We seek to uplift Black creators, performers and entrepreneurs from the surrounding area so we can connect and celebrate our community.”
Juneteenth is the longest-standing national celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, marking the date that a Union Army general arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865 to demand that the remaining enslaved Black people in the state be set free in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation that had been ordered by President Abraham Lincoln approximately two years prior.
President Joe Biden issued a proclamation marking June 19 as a federal holiday, making this year the third Juneteenth recognized federally and the 157th anniversary of the celebration.
“I have been in Livermore for almost 25 years, and I’m excited because this Juneteenth I can feel a collective resurgence of finally feeling like people who look like me belong here,” said Faith Alpher, who is emceeing the event for the second year in a row.
Alpher is an educational speaker, actor and comedian as well as a radio personality with Portland-based Alpha Media.
The festival will kick off with introductions from Alpher and Livermore Valley Arts organizers at 10 a.m., followed by words from Pastor Dr. Rick Perry at 10:15 a.m., with Alise Bradford and Moving Van closing out the first portion of the day’s festivities starting at 10:25 a.m. and ending with a 10:40 a.m. break.
The music is set to continue with Benton Smith at 10:50 a.m. and Horatio Monroe at 11:05 a.m., followed by a talk from educator, speaker, and entrepreneur Kei-Che Randle at 11:20 a.m. then dancers Imani Prior and Mikiah Aubert at 11:35 a.m. before an 11:45 a.m. break.
Dancers are set to take to the stage again at the start of the afternoon, with PUSD step dance team Full Force Steppers at noon, followed by speaker Shana Peete at 12:10 p.m. and the Jelani Noble trio at 12:20 p.m. before a 12:50 p.m. break.
Berkeley author and storyteller Tina Jones Williams is set to take to the stage subsequently at 1 p.m.
“Celebrations like Juneteenth are an opportunity to draw on our cultural unshakable joy, expand upon it and share it with others,” Williams said.
With Williams being the last of the three speakers in the lineup, musicians and dancers are set to close out the rest of the afternoon.
Singer Aisea Taimani is set to perform at 1:30 p.m., followed by a 2:30 p.m. performance from Ashley Jemison then a 2:45 p.m. performance from dancers Malik Chauhan and Jessica Thomas. The African dance ensemble is set to close out the day’s performances starting at 3 p.m.
In addition to the range of performances and discussions, the festival will showcase and celebrate Black-owned businesses offering a variety of food and shopping options, as well as community organizations and artists.
“Art is a bridge between our consciousness and the world we live in,” said Justin A. Metoyer Mullon, one of the vendors set to showcase his multimedia art and offer education at the festival. “We create that world together every day. Creating art that people value brings me joy. I’m participating in this Festival to continue broadening the scope of a world where my community is joyful, loved, respected, and creative.”
The Tri-Valley Juneteenth Festival is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (June 17) at the Bankhead Theater Plaza at 2400 First St. in Livermore. The event is free, family-friendly and open to the public.
The festival is followed immediately by the “East Bay Get Down” dance battle from 4-8 p.m.
