A number of organizations are collaborating to celebrate Juneteenth, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, June 19 in Old Town Lompoc, 100 block of South H Street, and at Centennial Park, adjacent to Old Town Lompoc.
The theme, taken from the 2026 National theme, is Honoring the Past, Serving the Present, Inspiring the Future, which celebrates the leaders, resilience, and legacy that continue to shape tomorrow, organizers said.
Author Eliot Davis of Eliot Davis Speaks is the keynote speaker. The headliner band is the ’90s BaBiez, a tribute band that performs worldwide with “chart-topping #1 Radio Hits from the ’80s and ’90s.”
“Now more than ever, we must work to share the historical and current achievements of our Black community,” said Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, president of the NAACP Santa Maria-Lompoc Branch.
“With federal agencies not acknowledging Black History Month and other significant cultural holidays, we stand firm that in Santa Barbara County, we still celebrate, acknowledge, and respect our diversity, which only strengthens us,” she said.
Host organizations include the Santa Maria-Lompoc National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Collective Cultures Creating Change Lompoc (C4 Lompoc), PCH Street Wine Lounge, The Fund For Santa Barbara, County of Santa Barbara, United Domestic Workers (UDW).
Also, the Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Lompoc Unified School District, United Black Student Union of California (UBSUC), and County of Santa Barbara Women Commission.
Invited dignitaries include Rep. Salud Carbajal; state Sen. Pro Tem Monique Limon; Assemblymember Gregg Hart; county Supervisors Steve Lavagnino, Joan Hartmann and Bob Nelson; Mayor James Mosby; Councilmember Jeremy Ball; and former Mayor Jenelle Osborne.
Observed on June 19th, Juneteenth celebrates the jubilation that broke out when the Emancipation reached Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, two years after it was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, resulting in freedom for 250,000 enslaved African-Americans.
Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or additional information should contact Lyons-Pruitt, 805-448-7869.
A portion of the celebration was made possible with grant funding from The Fund For Santa Barbara and the County of Santa Barbara Racial Equity Grant.