According to my records, Yolo County commemorated the first Juneteenth in June 2008 when the Yolo County Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Department, in collaboration with W.E. people, hosted an event at Nelson’s Grove in Woodland.

According to Yolo County, the first Juneteenth was commemorated by Yolo County Library and the Culture C.O.-O.P. in 2011. In 2019, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors worked with county staff to create the Yolo County Inclusion and Diversity Taskforce, a multi-agency taskforce designed to address systemic racism within the county’s many agencies and advance a more equitable approach to service delivery.

Today, Juneteenth is considered a state and federal holiday — although that may change as federal efforts to eliminate DEI programs continues — and recognized by both Woodland and Yolo County.

As is typical, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors authorized Resolution No. 25-59 on June 3, proclaiming June 19, 2025 as Juneteenth in Yolo County as the day that enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their emancipation by the Union Army, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Woodland was expected to pass a proclamation on June 17 recognizing Juneteenth. The proclamation isn’t as extensive as that of Yolo County, but the intent is the same, although the county is working with the Umoja Committee around the theme of “Honoring Our Ancestors, Empowering Our Future,” which will highlight the importance of Black historical preservation.

The Juneteenth holiday — its name combining “June” and “nineteenth” — has only grown in one and a half centuries. In 2021, President Joe Biden designated it a federal holiday — expanding its recognition beyond Black America.

Many people anticipate, getting Juneteenth off work. There are street festivals, fairs, concerts and other events planned nationwide throughout the week.

Juneteenth should hold a special place in the hearts of many Yoloans. It was after the Civil War ended that some freed slaves made their way to Woodland and the Capay Valley, which only increased as the years passed.

Back in February, during Black History Month, I wrote a column about how Yolo County libraries were hosting a series of quilted tapestries by black artists and how one of the best sources of information on Blacks settling in the Capay Valley was done by Elizabeth Monroe, a teacher and graduate of UC Davis — and a fifth-generation native of the Capay Valley. Her book, “The History of Stories of the Capay Valley,” recounts how Black families began arriving in the late 1800s.

According to Monroe, “Black families moved to the hills above the Capay Valley in the 1890s to homestead.” So, the link between freed slaves and Yolo County is strong.

I was curious about how people can celebrate Juneteenth if they aren’t Black. I found a story written by the Associated Press which quotes Dr. Karida Brown, a sociology professor at Emory University whose research focuses on race. She said there’s no reason to feel awkward about wanting to recognize Juneteenth just because you have no personal ties or you’re not Black. In fact, embrace it.

“I would reframe that and challenge my non-Black folks who want to lean into Juneteenth and celebrate,” Brown said. “It absolutely is your history. It absolutely is a part of your experience… Isn’t this all of our history? The good, the bad, the ugly, the story of emancipation and freedom for your Black brothers and sisters under the Constitution of the law.”

Amen to that.

Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.