On Saturday, June 17, 2023, BASE will host the 3rd Annual Southern Oregon Juneteenth Celebration at Pear Blossom Park in Medford from 11am – 7pm. This family-friendly event will be an outdoor cultural celebration for the entire community featuring food, education, music, and live entertainment.

This year’s celebration will showcase our region’s expanding roster of Black-owned businesses, highlight local Black artists and creatives, and share Black culture. It will provide a platform for community leaders, and create a fun environment where both youth and adults can commemorate this moment in our history and enrich understanding of our collective journey towards equity. This is a celebration where the whole community can come together.

The day-long event will include activities for grownups and children throughout the day. The Kids’ Zone will feature music, a bouncy house, face painting, and games. The mainstage will feature stars from across the Pacific Northwest: DJ Gemineye, Ekome drumming band, No BS, Ratie D, Tyrone Hendrix, plus performances from the AfroScoutz youth program. Community leaders including Kamilah Long of The Black Whole, Kym McKandes, Pastor of the Living Room Church, and Abby McKee of Britt Festival will illuminate history and offer inspiration. Raffles, offered throughout the day, include the chance to win Britt festival tickets. There will also be vendors, food trucks, community organizations, and other resources.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, was declared a national holiday in 2021, and celebrates the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. Juneteenth, the longest-running holiday that celebrates the end of American slavery, commemorates the anniversary date of June 19, 1865 when Union Army general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and issued General Order Number 3, effectively freeing enslaved people in the South.

Let’s celebrate and have a good time!!!!!