Juneteenth, Pride celebrants gather at Tacoma park for fellowship, activism and fun
The Tacoma community gathered in People’s Park on Friday to commemorate and reflect on the Juneteenth holiday, which came against the backdrop of increased calls for police accountability.
Junteenth is a marker of the day in 1865 when slaves in Texas were freed nearly two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which was not always enforced.
One of the organizers of Friday’s event, who also is a member of the Tacoma Mutual Aid Collective (TMAC), Side-Eye Song, could be seen offering masks to those who needed them.
Song spoke about the value of having such an event.
“When we come to these events, we have so much planning that has gone on, and where we’ve lagged and left things behind, the community is happy to pick it up,” Song said. “That feels great. It’s a great atmosphere.”
That atmosphere saw families in the park with their kids, friends playing Frisbee, free snacks and many pets, including a small kitten precariously perched on a box being walked around the park.
There also were tables set up with free materials for people to take to grow their own plants, ranging from pineapple strawberry starters to a variety of succulents. Another organizer with TMAC, Niko, said the plants were meant to brighten the lives of whomever took them home.
“We have people donating plants for Black and brown folks to take home for the sake of creating a peaceful environment in their homes,” Niko said.
People were encouraged to name their newfound plants, which lead to names being chosen like Freedom Plant and Sparkle.
A coloring table was there as was an education table that contained materials like, “Trans Affirmation Coloring Book.”
The event also served as a commemoration of Pride, which itself has a history of protest with the Stonewall Riots where Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transgender woman, led an uprising along with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera.
“We’re here and people seem really excited just to spend time with us,” Niko said. “TMAC is about trying to redistribute resources that we have. We’ve gotten a lot of donations from being involved in protests.”
There were a variety of rainbow signs with slogans like “Black Joy Matters,” “Black Queer Lives Matter” and “Black Trans Lives Matter.”
There also were signs that said “Abolish Police” and “Defund Police” which have served as rallying cries to transform the system of policing in the United States.
“We prioritize the most oppressed voices to make sure absolutely everybody is getting heard,” Song said.
One pair of voices that was heard was a duo of kids who led all in attendance in a group rendition of “Baby Shark” after which they leaped from the stage to a round of applause.
The event was what organizers hoped it would be, a place to celebrate and come together to support one another.
“Kindness and peace and love are our main goals,” Song said. “My biggest hope is to empower people to get together.”
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 6:17 PM.
