SeeMYchild set to host 4th annual Juneteenth celebration

SeeMYchild is set to host the fourth annual Juneteenth celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 15 at Johnson-SpringView Park in Rocklin. Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated on June 19 every year to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. It has been a national holiday since 2021. "Attaining the beloved community" is the theme of the event this year and will include activities for participants to visit for free. This includes a sweet potato pie competition, community panel and booths by the Tuskegee Airmen Heritage Chapter and 10th Cavalry of the Buffalo Soldiers. The event had more than 200 participants last year. Twiana Armstrong, the founder of seeMYchild, said her favorite thing about last year was running out of food for the event. "That means the number of attendees had grown. We're prepared this year, anticipating 300 attendees," she says. SeeMYchild is a nonprofit located in Rocklin. Armstrong says, "The work of seeMYchild is rooted in the African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child. We intend to do our part through initiatives that creates communities in which every child can thrive." SeeMYchild has four focuses: community educational forums, community scholarships, community unity events and student showcases. Armstrong created seeMYchild after feeling her daughter was not being seen due to race-related incidents during her high school years. "As her mother, the stress and frustration was at times overwhelming. I knew they were not seeing my beautiful, smart, phenomenal daughter. Hence, seeMYchild was born. Every child deserves to be seen, heard and loved," Armstrong shares. To learn more about the Juneteenth event or seeMYchild, visit https://www.seemychild.org/placer-juneteenth.