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Juneteenth celebrations and rallies held around the Bay

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Published  June 19, 2020 5:49pm PDT
Oakland
KTVU FOX 2

Juneteenth celebrations and rallies held around the Bay

Juneteenth rallies erupted throughout the Bay on Friday to commemorate the end of slavery in America, but also to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Thousands of people gathered in Oakland to recognize Juneteenth, and recognize systemic racial inequity.

Protesters making their voices heard, stopped business as usual at the nation's ports urging social change. The Friday morning protests in Oakland were part of a coordinated one-day work stoppage along the West Coast at the nation's ports.

Union leaders said longshore workers stand with Black Americans.

"This is an historic occasion, because this action on the part of the ILWU is the first time in American history that an international Union has commemorated the emancipation of African American people in the United States of America," said former Secretary-Treasurer of ILWU Local 10 Clarence Thomas.

Organizers saying it's time for a new generation to take up the fight for equality, and that generation saying they're ready to answer the call.

"We're tired, we're exhausted. This is a different generation so we're not about to just sit by and just accept what's happening," said 17-year-old Kalise Cox. "We're the type to be out there and speak up and stop the action."

Protesters made their way from the port, through the streets of Oakland to Frank Ogawa Plaza where speakers talked about this moment of national reckoning coming on Juneteenth.

"They want their statement on their webpage, 'heartfelt sentiments, we love black lives,' and that's it! You can't love black lives if you ain't got black lives in the leadership of your organizations," said one speaker.

On the other side of the Bay, there were scattered protests throughout San Francisco, including a rolling protest with drivers holding up signs and honking their horns in solidarity with Black Lives Matter; and at City Hall, hundreds gathered demanding the city shift funding away from police and remove San Francisco police officers from the city's schools.

The protests weren't limited to San Francisco and Oakland. There were also Juneteenth protests and rallies planned in Antioch, Santa Clara and Santa Rosa.