Comunidades Commemorates Juneteenth

Comunidades commemorated June 19 with more than 50 members of the Latino community at Riverside Church in Hood River on June 19. The intention was to learn about the importance of the significant day for the African-American community and the beginning of the new federal holiday.

Ophelia Noble, from the Vancouver, Washington-based The Noble Foundation, came to share her story and her relationship with Juneteenth with the Gorge community. She commented on the history of slavery in the United States and the origin of Juneteenth, which honors the day in 1865 when a large portion of enslaved people were finally told they were free after two years of continuous servitude. It was important for Comunidades, as an organization that works for social and environmental justice for the Latino community, to honor the day with education and cross-cultural understanding about the historical, systemic and ongoing oppression in our country. The event was bilingual and the members of Communities who attended were very interested in the conversation, generating empathy and thoughts about how we share similar struggles. The community enjoyed food served by Lake Taco and at the end of the event, each community member took home a food box with supplies from Mercado Guadalajara and the Gorge Farmers Collective, sponsored by Northwest Harvest. Comunidades, a fiscally sponsored organization under Columbia Riverkeeper, will continue to promote events for the Latino community and will soon launch a website to share updates, news and programs.