Edwards AFB hosts Juneteenth "block party"

  • Published
  • By Katherine Franco
  • 412th Test Wing Public Affairs

Team Edwards will host their first ever, block party to celebrate Juneteenth in the Mojave Sky Community Center at Edwards Air Force Base on Jun, 16.

Juneteenth is a celebration of the official end of slavery in the U.S. by President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. However, not all states adhered to the law until 1865, said Staff Sgt. Marceda F. Wright, 412th Security Forces Squadron, Standers and Evaluations.

Juneteenth celebrations have long been a tradition in the African American community. They have gained recognition in the U.S., which President Joe Biden declared a federal holiday on June 17, 2021.

This event will allow Team Edwards to commemorate and educate about the history of the United States of America and consider those who have fought for the same legal rights and protections as citizens.

“We really wanted to emphasize the importance of the day by having a cookout. A lot of things in the African American culture is really around food,” said Wright.

Wright said, the block party setting will be a relax environment that will allow people to have conversations and reflect on the significant of the holiday.

“Bringing meals together and having that chat creates a more comfortable atmosphere. That is, I believe, why I wanted to advocate for such an event,” said Wright.

To celebrate this historical event, the African Heritage Association on Edwards AFB would like to invite everyone on Edwards AFB for the cookout; a day filled with history, there will be a good old-fashioned family cookout at Mojave Sky Community Center on Jun. 16, 2022 starting at 12 noon.