Rio Rancho hosts fourth annual Juneteenth Freedom Day event

RIO RANCHO — Bounce houses, food trucks, vendors and music at Haynes Park helped bring some fun to the city’s annual Juneteenth Freedom Day on Saturday, but for District 5 Councilor Karissa Culbreath, who is Black, the relatively new federal holiday means so much more.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when, shortly after the end of the Civil War, former Union Gen. Gordon Granger issued an order in Galveston, Texas, informing residents that enslaved people were free and marking the end of slavery in the U.S., Culbreath said. Slavery came to an end at different times after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863. Granger did not arrive in Texas until June 19, two months after the end of the Civil War and just days after the Lone Star State surrendered to Union troops.

Juneteenth became a holiday in 2021, when then-President Joe Biden signed legislation into law.

On Saturday, Culbreath said some people ask her why everyone should celebrate Juneteenth.

“It’s the same (reason) why we all celebrate the Fourth of July,” Culbreath said under a shaded sound stage, flanked by large red and black letters spelling “Juneteenth.” “As America’s declaration of independence from an external tyranny, Juneteenth is a victory over internal struggles — struggles that nearly destroyed our country.”

The holiday should remind residents and people everywhere that they can “correct systemic and institutional racism and struggles no matter how deep,” Culbreath said.

Noting some of the event attendees might be unfamiliar with Juneteenth, she asked them to tell the person next to them, “Hi, family!” because “today, we are reminded that we are all brothers and sisters.”

The comments from Culbreath came as municipalities throughout the U.S. reported reducing participation in Juneteenth celebrations this year due to “canceled federal grants and businesses moving away from so-called brand activism,” according to one recent Associated Press report.

Rio Rancho, however, invested $13,000 into its own Juneteenth event, which does not rely on outside sources, city spokesperson Jaley Turpen wrote in an email to the Observer. The event included four food trucks, more than 30 arts and crafts vendors and eight health care vendors, she said. This year marked the fourth Juneteenth Freedom Day put on by the city.

“Offering an event provides an opportunity for education, reflection and community members to come together,” Turpen wrote, referring to what city officials hoped attendees got out of this year’s event.

Hattie O. Gordon, owner of Heavenly Body Budda Bath and Body Boutique, was one of the vendors on hand, selling soaps and bath bombs, among other items.

“We don’t get many days out of the year; we catch hell all year,” Gordon said in an interview, referring to her fellow Black community members. “This is our day.”

She said came to the local event for the second time since it began to celebrate African Americans, being “Black and proud of it” and celebrating the ability to speak her mind without fear.

But she has her concerns, particularly with some of President Donald Trump’s initiatives, including cancelling production of the penny.

“(It) was the only brown coin,” Gordon said, adding she does not think Trump likes African Americans. The president, who previously acknowledged the holiday, did not appear to do so this year, according to the AP.

While the event at Haynes Park brought out prominent leaders like Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull and Culbreath, several officials and even candidates from outside the city attended.

Candidates included Deb Haaland, the former U.S. Interior secretary who is running for governor as a Democrat and is widely considered the front runner to succeed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

“Today, I celebrated Juneteenth with the Rio Rancho community, where we honored the strength and resiliency of Black New Mexicans. I was happy to meet community members and support local vendors!” Haaland wrote in a June 21 Facebook post.

Sonya Smith, a Democratic candidate for New Mexico secretary of state, was handing out fans with her campaign logo as temperatures climbed into the 90s. Smith, who previously served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, told the Observer that Black soldiers “played a huge role” in letting enslaved people in Texas know they were free.

She went on to say “it is not business as usual” this Juneteenth with Trump in the White House, but “we know how to bob and weave.”

“From this, we’re going to be fine because we’ve proven that over and over again,” Smith said.