By: Kinsey Gade
Juneteenth Roseville adds an art contest to the celebration at Central Park on June 14.
This year’s Juneteenth celebration encouraged the involvement of Roseville youth by adding a visual and written art competition, according to Kathy Ramundt, the co-founder of Do Good Roseville. The winners, judged by a combination of Arts Roseville, Do Good Roseville and community members, will be announced at the celebration.
Do Good Roseville has put on a Juneteenth event since 2018, when Etienne Djevi, a board member at Do Good Roseville and immigrant from West Africa, was seeking a community of Black fathers in the Roseville area. Djevi said Juneteenth seemed like the perfect opportunity not only to bring together the Black community in Roseville but also to celebrate and recognize the day of freedom for African Americans.
The event started small, as more of a friends and family potluck in a rented shelter, spending the day talking about the importance and history of Juneteenth, said Djevi.
“I used to get on my bicycle, riding through Roseville, handing out flyers to any Black person I saw, hoping to build that community,” Djevi said.
Keith Allen, the director of Community Health Programs at M Health Fairview and a member of the Do Good Roseville volunteer committee, was invited by Djevi to the second Juneteenth celebration in 2019. He said he and his family enjoyed engaging with the community.
“I got to meet a lot of other folks, along with my family, from the community and people of color, Black folks,” Allen said. “My kids had a great time being able to walk up and get books from the Roseville library and get free snow cones because it was a community potluck.”
Allen said he saw an opportunity to connect his professional role at Fairview with being a Roseville resident to partner with Do Good Roseville.
“The two came together perfectly,” Allen said. “Part of my work is being out in the community to address social determinants of health, and part of that is connection, care and addressing social isolation.”
When Juneteenth was officially recognized as a city holiday in 2022, the city of Roseville officially partnered with Do Good Roseville, moving the celebration to Central Park and funding Black entertainment, Black-owned food vendors and Black-owned businesses, according to Ramundt.
Pat Trudgeon, Roseville city manager, said the city started by allocating $1,000 in 2022 and is allocating $6,000 this year to help support the event.
One of the biggest concerns for Juneteenth Roseville has been keeping it free for everyone, including upwards of 71 vendors, which, as the event grows each year, has been made possible through partnerships and sponsorships, according to Djevi.
“It went from trying to find Black people to now we’re celebrating something that is open to anyone,” Djevi said. “Because, optimally, Juneteenth is not Black history; it’s American history and should be recognized and celebrated by everyone.”
Photo caption: A photo of the planning committee. Photo provided by Kathy Ramundt
