Photos by Gary Kohatsu
Dovema Awoniyi, assistant pastor of Maranatha Church in Inglewood, leads her choir in song at the city of Gardena Juneteenth Freedom Day on June 18. The Juneteenth celebration
commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It was first celebrated June 19, 1866 in Galveston, Texas. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021
Another photo of Karson Green who is creating his brand as a performer of mime praise. The city of Gardena hosted the inaugural Juneteenth celebration on June 18 at the city hall complex.Karson Green, 6, performs a mime praise during the Juneteenth celebration in Gardena last Saturday. The youngster from Los Angeles has been miming for about seven months, his mother said.
Dancer Zharia Armel Clausell, left, and her dancers perform at Saturday’s Juneteenth in Gardena. Clausell, 16, from Compton, and the Maranatha Church Choir performed the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Clausell also sang her song, “Toxic.” The Juneteenth celebration included cultural and educational performances, vendor, food, live music and dancing.Laverne Knight speaks about Opel Lee to attendees of Gardena’s Juneteenth on Saturday. Lee is “an American retired teacher, counselor, and activist in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally-recognized holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Senate Bill S. 475, making Juneteenth the 11th federal holiday,” as shared on Google search.GPD officer Andre Carter dances with emcee Lawanda Staten during a break in the entertainment portion of Juneteenth. Carter served as event deejay
