State Senator Anna Caballero, Assemblywoman Esmerelda Soria, Merced Mayor Matt Serratto, and members of the Merced City Council were in attendance.
City leaders and guests ride on a firetruck through downtown during the Juneteenth Parade.
The most regal Walter Smith rode in the parade as Mr. Juneteenth.
Lil Miss Juneteenth, Ariana Cardenas, on her ride in the parade.
Community Members and family of Krik Wright gathered for the park ribbon cutting.
Mercedians celebrated the Juneteenth national holiday with a parade across downtown Merced and a community celebration at McNamara Park.
It was the second Juneteenth event of its kind in Merced organized by the Juneteenth Committee.
For those who don’t know, Juneteenth is a holiday that honors and remembers the emancipation of slaves in the United States. It takes its name (June + Nineteenth) and date from the anniversary of the official order from Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865. Notably, while this holiday was only recently recognized on the federal level in 2021 by President Joe Biden, it is widely considered to be the longest-running African American holiday, and is even referred to as the “America’s Second Independence Day” by some.
This event kicked off with a gathering behind Merced Theatre, where community members, including a list of dignitaries and public officials, could all reflect on Juneteenth together and give out community awards. Speakers at the event included Mayor Matthew Serratto, Senator Anna Caballero, and Assemblywoman Esmerelda Soria.
The Royal Court chosen for this year’s event were:
- Walter Smith as Mr. Juneteenth
- Virginia Riley as Lady Juneteenth
- Jarion Brown as Lil Mr. Juneteenth
- Ariana Cardenas as Lil Miss Juneteenth
The celebration continued with the parade through downtown to McNamara Park, where more festivities awaited attendees. The procession consisted of mostly community members showing off their Juneteenth spirit, as well as beautiful cars. There was even a City of Merced fire truck carrying local leaders on top.
The parade quickly made its way to the park where vendors, music, food, and fun were waiting, and were already teaming with Mercedians. Notably, all of the food, music, and pool access were funded and donated by Positive Brothers United.
A bonus celebration of the event was the official unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony for the naming of the Kirk Wright Memorial Playground. This project has been in the works for a while and the family is incredibly happy an honored to see that their father was recognized for his notable service to the community. Fittingly, one of the many things that Wright was known for was celebrating and teaching about Juneteenth here in Merced for decades, well before it was federally recognized.
This event was put together and sponsored by the Juneteenth Committee, Positive Brothers United, and Merced County NAACP City of Merced.