CA State Parks celebrates Juneteenth at Black Miners Bar

The sun shone and locals gathered for the Juneteenth celebration at Black Miners Bar in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area on June 17. The event celebrated the day all enslaved people were officially notified of their freedom - June 19, 1865. This year marks the 160th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation. President Lincoln signed the document on Jan. 1, 1863, notifying enslaved people of their freedom, yet not all those enslaved in the United States were immediately informed. Juneteenth marks the day Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, letting all enslaved people know about the Emancipation Proclamation and their newfound freedom. The 13th Amendment, passed in December 1865, formally abolished slavery across the entire United States. Honoring that history and the legacy of freedom and culture, California State Parks and Friends of Lakes Folsom and Natoma (FOLFAN) partnered up on June 17 to give the public a day to celebrate, honor and remember such an event. Folsom Mayor Rosario Rodriguez proclaimed June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day for the city. Rodriguez and Vice Mayor YK Chalamcherla also presented the Resolution Presentation to State Parks Gold Fields District Superintendent Barry Smith, Juneteenth USA Organizer Thomas Stratton, FOLFAN President Jim Cassio, State Parks Cultural Resources Program Supervisor Steve Hilton and State Parks Director Armando Quintero. Locals and vendors gathered on the field near the Black Miners Bar "day-use" recreation area. People talked and shared stories, occasionally stopping by State Parks information tents, learning about the history of Black Miners Bar and listening to the Grant High School drumline. Black Miners Bar is named after the African American miners who were restricted to mining in that area during the Gold Rush. They were segregated from other prospectors and not allowed to work in the same parts of the river. The park since has undergone numerous name changes. Quintero noted the area was not called Black Miners Bar during the Gold Rush but was under a different name, a word outlawed in 1960. The new name became Negro Bar, which changed last year to Black Miners Bar. Quintero stated Black Miners Bar is the first of several parks undergoing a thorough study and realignment into properly researching the history of state parks and how California can share and honor it. As part of what seems to be a historical renovation, Quintero said State Parks has already hired and is looking to hire more historians to study the deep history behind California's beautiful parks. He says that, unfortunately, the names of the African American men who set up mining claims in that very location remain unknown. The goal is to learn more about them, their names and how State Parks can do its due diligence in learning more about the rich history that has served as the foundation for state parks as they are know today. Trooper David Jones was present to represent the history of the Buffalo Soldiers. He's traveled throughout California for more than 25 years, visiting state and national parks where Buffalo Soldiers had a presence. "Their history is not just black history, it's American history. And it has a great foundation here in California in some of the locations in which they were stationed and the work that they did there," Jones says. "They were some of the very first Park Rangers. … They built the road up to Morro Rock, the first wagon road into Sequoia (National Park), the first trail into Mount Whitney, they were the ones to protect the Sherman Tree with the fences and they made sure that there weren't any poachers." Buffalo Soldiers left a lasting impact on California's environment, transportation industry and history. Jones attended Juneteenth to educate the public on the importance of Buffalo Soldiers and how their work influenced life in California for the better; whether it's regarding messages transmitted via telegraph wires, trees protected from the lumber industry or nature kept safe from illegal ventures, the Buffalo Soldiers made it all possible. Tracie Stafford, emcee and organizer for this year's Juneteenth event, is a social sustainability scientist who works on shifting changing cultures. Stafford noted it's discouraging when people become reluctant to participate when they hear the word "slavery" or even when such an event gets politicized. She is grateful State Parks understands the significance of such a celebration and appreciated their willingness to host this educational event for the Folsom community. "America should be celebrating the end of slavery!" Stafford explains when asked what the event means for Folsom. "That is one of the largest accomplishments that we made. … This changed the cultural direction of this country." FOLFAN has partnered with the park to provide people an opportunity to learn more about the history of those who previously occupied this space, including Native American tribes and African American prospectors during the Gold Rush. "One of our values, as the park partner, is education. And there's so much here to learn, so much that people don't know, don't understand, like who lived here in the past, before that, before that," FOLFAN President Jim Cassio says. "... Our park serves all people, all backgrounds. So an event that brings people together, that's important to FOLFAN." Myrna Haskell, a FOLFAN volunteer helping at the Juneteenth event, says, "We just love this event. It's the second year that they have done it. And hopefully, it's just a way to reach out to the community. … This is a beautiful area here, and I'm so glad that it's getting recognized."