By Analah Wallace | OBSERVER Staff Writer
The rich yet little known history of Sacramento’s Black culture was unveiled July 16 at the Sacramento History Museum.
“Sacramento Juneteenth Festival Exhibit” highlights the last 22 years of Juneteenth traditions and the history behind Black ancestors arriving in Sacramento. The exhibit was put together by Sacramento Juneteenth Executive Director Gary Simon at the museum’s invitation.
“[Sacramento Juneteenth] has worked with other museums and other libraries, but this was an invitation that was second to none,” Simon said July 22 at an opening reception for the exhibit.
The exhibit, on display until Tuesday, Sept. 2, features multiple displays, including a timeline of the last 22 years of Juneteenth celebrations, artwork by a Black artist, and important historical documents important to the cause.
Simon cited working closely with members of the museum staff to put the exhibit together, namely Executive Director and CEO Delta Pick Mello and museum store merchandiser Heather Reynolds. After seeing the museum’s exhibit on Sojourner Truth, Simon expressed interest in an exhibit for Juneteenth. Not long after, Mello and Reynolds invited him to collaborate.
“Ever since COVID closed us down for a year, we reevaluated what we were doing here, and we started to recognize that we needed to invite our communities again more,” Mello said. “We weren’t just telling the story of the 1800s, we’re telling the story of Sacramentans.”
Simon expressed gratitude towards several community members who helped organize the project. One of these members was SMUD Board President Gregg Fishman, who was one of many organization leaders that sponsored the implementation of the exhibit.
Fishman said he felt it was important for SMUD to give back to the very communities it served. He said growing up, he didn’t know much about Juneteenth, nor was he taught about it in school. He says now that he knows of its importance, he wants to help provide learning resources for the youth.
“We have a group of people around now that want to rewrite our history and tell us how great things were back in the Jim Crow era or back before the Civil Rights era, and we cannot afford to let that rewriting happen,” Fishman said. “We have to maintain what we know about history, the good and the bad.”
Simon said the exhibit wasn’t only a showcase of Black Sacramento’s history, but also a love letter to the last 22 years of work he has done for Juneteenth. Among the exhibit’s elements was a photo collage of moments from every year, including parades and community events. Simon closed the reception by explaining the significance of each, and how many more memories will be made in the future.
“Twenty-two years, and my fellows and I are going to get even deeper with it,” Simon said. “This was just the beginning, folks. This is just the beginning.”
The exhibit is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, with last admission at 4:30.