The Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition is providing an opportunity for people to unite with food, fun and fellowship during the annual Juneteenth Celebration in Hermiston.
The free community gathering is Saturday, June 22, 4-8 p.m., at McKenzie Park, 320 S. First St. It includes a barbecue with hamburgers, hot dogs, side dishes, desserts and water.
HCAC President Dave Gracia encourages people to bring lawn chairs and outdoor games. A bouncy house will be available for children and DJ Moises Lopez will crank up the tunes. In addition, there will be vendors and information booths.
The coalition’s goal, Gracia said, is to provide a fun atmosphere where community members can come together and enjoy each other’s company. In addition, he said it’s important to learn more about our country’s history.
“Like the old saying, ‘If you ignore the past you are doomed to repeat it.’ Ignorance is a tough barrier because we’re all ignorant in a sense,” Gracia said. “I just learned more about Juneteenth maybe five or six years ago.”
Designated as a federal holiday in 2021, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Gracia said it is often referred to as the “second Independence Day in America.”
Before it became a federal holiday, HCAC hosted a small barbecue on June 23, 2019, as a “Celebration of Juneteenth,” with plans to make it an annual event. Although it wasn’t held in 2020 because of the global pandemic, the coalition resurrected the gathering as the Juneteenth Celebration in 2021. Gracia said participation has increased yearly, estimating that several hundred people attended in 2023.
“It’s amazing that Hermiston is celebrating this,” Jada Rome said during the 2023 event. “We need this everywhere. When we can be together it’s a beautiful thing.”
The Hermiston Cultural Awareness Coalition began as a grassroots movement in 2000 — hosting a yearly Martin Luther King Jr. Day peace walk and program — as the Black International Awareness Club. Its purpose is to highlight the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and to support diversity and equality in the greater Hermiston area.
The coalition meets the second Saturday of each month at 2 p.m. at the Hermiston United Methodist Church. For more information, search www.facebook.com/hcac2000 or call Gracia at 541-571-7874.
