La Mesa Juneteenth is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable community in La Mesa, where education is valued, diversity is celebrated, and positive change is achieved. Through vibrant events, educational initiatives, and collaborative efforts, La Mesa Juneteenth strives to empower individuals, bridge societal gaps, and promote social progress. Our vision is to create a compassionate society that embraces unity, dialogue, and diversity, while providing equal opportunities for education and growth to all community members.
La Mesa Juneteenth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in 2022.
We want to Thank you for a wonderful
La Mesa Juneteenth Celebration!
We want to thank everyone who participated in our Juneteenth celebration. We had a wonderful turnout and we were very pleased with how the event was attended by our community.
We want to also thank all the volunteers and the team who helped put the event together.
We look forward to next year’s celebration with a bigger and even better organized event.
See you next year!
The La Mesa Juneteenth team.
Bringing Life, Liberty, Education, and Celebration to La Mesa.
Sunday, June 16, 2024, from 12 to 4 pm!
Macarthur Park, 4975 Memorial Dr.
Here’s a video honoring Opal Lee, "The Grandmother" of Juneteenth.
Juneteenth advocate Lee gets keys to new home!
From The Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas — Opal Lee, the 97-year-old Texan known for her push to make Juneteenth a national holiday, was given the keys Friday to her new home, which was built on the same tree-lined corner lot in Fort Worth that her family was driven from by a racist mob when she was 12.
“I’m so happy I don’t know what to do,” said Lee, sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the home just before the ceremony.
The ceremony to welcome Lee into the newly completed home comes just days before the nation celebrates Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery across the U.S. that means so much to Lee. Several area groups came together to build and furnish the house, which was completed less than three months after the first wall was raised.
Lee said she plans to hold an open house so she can meet her new neighbors.
“Everybody will know that this is going to be a happy place,” she said.
This June 19 — Juneteenth — will be the 85th anniversary of the day a mob, angered that a Black family had moved in, began gathering outside the home her parents had just bought. As the crowd grew, her parents sent her and her siblings to a friend’s house several blocks away and then eventually left themselves.
Newspaper articles at the time said the mob that grew to about 500 people broke windows in the house and dragged furniture out into the street and smashed it. She has said her family didn’t return to the house and her parents never talked about what happened that day.
Supporting Our Mission!
Give to La Mesa Juneteenth to support our mission to promote lifelong learning, cultural appreciation, and social progress, fostering a compassionate society that celebrated diversity, encourages dialogue, and achieves lasting positive change through vibrant events, educational programs, and community partnerships.
The History
Directed by Lincoln, federal troops were sent to spread the word that enslaved black people were Americans under the law. 156 years ago on June 19, 1865 (2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation) they finally reached Texas and all Americans became free from slavery. Black Americans celebrated the date, also known as Emancipation Day, and the jubilee has continued to this day, which is now a recognized federal holiday.
Today the holiday is about the celebration of Black culture, history and life, bringing people together to honor all those who came before us and fought for the rights and privileges we hold today.
