The country folks on the Compton block where 50-year-old Michael Reddick grew up used to fire up the grill and kick up their feet every year around June 19.
It was a humble celebration to mark a momentous occasion — the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African American were liberated, almost 2½ years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free all slaves. For people who recognize the day, it became an unofficial holiday known as Juneteenth, a combination of “June” and the “nineteenth,” which remains a longtime tradition for many black Americans.
As a child, Reddick thought his elders, who hailed from segregated towns in Texas and Louisiana, were “doing country stuff.” But decades later, he found himself unable to explain to his teenage son why they didn’t participate in what some call Black Independence Day.
On Saturday, Reddick and his extended family of six joined hundreds of people who gathered in Leimert Park to commemorate the day with a street festival. The event, hosted by Black Arts Los Angeles since 2009, brought together artists and residents for a day of fun and remembrance.
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