Yolo County Juneteenth Holiday Celebration 2022

The Culture CO-OP and other partners collaborated and coordinated with Yolo County at the Yolo County Early Juneteenth Holiday Celebration this year on June 5th! This year’s theme was Sankofa: The Road to Freedom. Sankofa means “to go back and get” with a symbol of the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol of the heart or bird looking backward with an egg in its mouth. This family event featured an exciting lineup of masterful performers on the main stage and many activities and events such as art demonstrations. The recording of the performances is soon to come! Interested in getting involved, contact Sandy!

Yolo Juneteenth Website

Sacbee Juneteenth Celebration Video

History of Juneteenth

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) first began in Galveston, Texas in celebration of the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. This celebration dates all the way back to 1865 upon the news that the American Civil War had ended and that those enslaved were now free. In response to this news, free Black people across the South began celebrating Juneteenth on June 19th through activities such as barbecuing, rodeos, picnics, street fairs, parties, and family reunions. Juneteenth honors the day that the federal government took control over the last confederate state and granted the enslaved their freedom.

The Culture C.O.-O.P. Featured Artwork

In addition to the artwork done by the master artists, there will also be some artwork created by some of The Culture C.O.-O.P.’s interns that will be displayed at the Yolo County Juneteenth Early Celebration!

The Culture C.O.-O.P. Artists

Mahima Kale

Mahima Kale is from Kolhapur, India. Currently a third-year student at the University of California, Davis majoring in Design and Psychology, Mahima aspires to be a Product Designer. Mahima is passionate about helping society through what she can and thinks of art as a useful tool for the social change needed today. With everything happening in our world today change is needed globally. We need to think beyond the barriers of borders, languages, different backgrounds, etc. Art is this beautiful form that can reach beyond the differences. Mahima is inspired by Expressionist art styles and likes to portray art that has many layers to it and can narrate a story by itself.

See More of Mahima’s Work here: https://mskale.myportfolio.com/

V’Santi Tobey

V’Santi Tobey is a 4th-year majoring in Theater and Dance as well as Art Studio at the University of California- Davis. She is a mixed artist of Cape Verdean, Puerto Rican, and Native American descent that has influenced her work which seeks to uplift POCs of all communities. She uses her vibrantly graphic art style to depict stories that go untold by her people with conversations relative to American politics, racial identity, and civil rights that are still being fought for today. Using art as a form of activism, Tobey hopes to use her skills to capture her own unique experiences and continue these heavy conversations through multiple visual and performative mediums.

Ulysses Tu

Ulysses Tu is a 5th-year Design Major at UC Davis who is skilled in Adobe softwares as well as other design modeling softwares. He has a love for drawing, coloring, photoshopping, and illustrating. Aside from design, he has also taken part in clubs and has engaged in various services. He has been a member of Circle K International for 4 years. Overall he is a nice and outgoing person who likes to socialize with friends. Ulysses is always determined to do the right thing and make a difference in society. That’s why he has taken part in multiple services and volunteers sponsored by CKI. And as a result, he feels that he is contributing to society. Design is his passion and he is always willing to design and come up with some unique designs for various subjects. He likes to take inspiration from various other mediums in order to improve his skills.

Aditi Jain

Aditi Jain is a third-year Cognitive Science major at UC Davis who has a passion for creating art and often uses it for relaxation and for expressing her thoughts and ideas. She likes to experiment with different mediums, such as watercolors, pencil and pen sketches, colored pencils, markers, and digital art. Aditi believes that it is important to spread awareness about the injustices in our country and around the world in order to promote systemic change, and art is a great way to get powerful messages across. She loves picking art pieces apart and finding out their hidden meanings and the deep messages behind them.