(San Francisco Chronicle) San Francisco's Juneteenth Festival, which will be held through today in the historically African American Fillmore district, is considered the oldest and largest Juneteenth celebration outside Texas.
Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it wasn't until June 19, 1865, when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War was over, that blacks in the state actually knew slavery was abolished and that they were free.
California is one of 39 states and the District of Columbia that recognize Juneteenth - a blend of the words June and 19th - as either a state holiday or a state holiday observance. Texas, the first state to celebrate Juneteenth, was also the first to make it an official state holiday in 1980. It is typically celebrated on the third Saturday of June.
This 61st annual San Francisco celebration included a parade with vintage cars, cowboys and various community groups, along with a street fair with arts, music, dance and food.
But health is the theme of this year's celebration. African Americans are more than twice as likely as whites to experience hypertension and typically have higher rates of such health problems as heart attacks, cancer and stroke.
One of the busiest booths at the festival featured confidential health screenings and free testing for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels and sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs.
"African American young women have disproportionately high rates of STDs, so that's why we're offering women 25 and under free chlamydia and gonorrhea testings," said Jacqueline McCright, services manager of the San Francisco Department of Public Health's STD prevention and control section.
So far, only one woman had taken advantage of the screenings, but McCright expected to test at least 50 through the weekend.
People were lining up at the table run by the Bay Area Black Nurses Association for on-the-spot cholesterol and glucose testing through finger pricks, as well as blood pressure screenings.
Registered nurse Gina Johnson said diabetes and heart problems are common in the black community. "A lot of times they can't afford services, don't have access or don't know how important it is," said Johnson, who grew up in the Fillmore district and was just hired to work at San Francisco General Hospital.
Matilda Foster, a retired kindergarten teacher, had a mammogram the day earlier and keeps on top of her health, but still wanted to check her levels.
"It's important to know because a lot of times African Americans don't know about health terminology and that there's help available, even if they don't have health insurance," Foster said.
Jackie Watt, 58, endured the quick finger prick and got a clean bill of health - with the exception of a slightly high glucose result she said may be attributable to the two soft drinks and a hard candy she had earlier in the day.
Watt said she regularly comes to San Francisco's Juneteenth festival, but the health fair isn't the draw. "I like to see all the different
This 61st annual San Francisco celebration included a parade with vintage cars, cowboys and various community groups, along with a street fair with arts, music, dance and food.
But health is the theme of this year's celebration. African Americans are more than twice as likely as whites to experience hypertension and typically have higher rates of such health problems as heart attacks, cancer and stroke.
One of the busiest booths at the festival featured confidential health screenings and free testing for blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose levels and sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs.
"African American young women have disproportionately high rates of STDs, so that's why we're offering women 25 and under free chlamydia and gonorrhea testings," said Jacqueline McCright, services manager of the San Francisco Department of Public Health's STD prevention and control section.
So far, only one woman had taken advantage of the screenings, but McCright expected to test at least 50 through the weekend.
People were lining up at the table run by the Bay Area Black Nurses Association for on-the-spot cholesterol and glucose testing through finger pricks, as well as blood pressure screenings.
Registered nurse Gina Johnson said diabetes and heart problems are common in the black community. "A lot of times they can't afford services, don't have access or don't know how important it is," said Johnson, who grew up in the Fillmore district and was just hired to work at San Francisco General Hospital.
Matilda Foster, a retired kindergarten teacher, had a mammogram the day earlier and keeps on top of her health, but still wanted to check her levels.
"It's important to know because a lot of times African Americans don't know about health terminology and that there's help available, even if they don't have health insurance," Foster said.
Jackie Watt, 58, endured the quick finger prick and got a clean bill of health - with the exception of a slightly high glucose result she said may be attributable to the two soft drinks and a hard candy she had earlier in the day.
Watt said she regularly comes to San Francisco's Juneteenth festival, but the health fair isn't the draw. "I like to see all the different
arts and crafts and all the talent," she said.
*Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday in 37 states of the United States.*
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