Hundreds of San Diegans gathered in the Grant Hill neighborhood to celebrate “Juneteenth.”
According to an item from CBS8 Television, San Diego's CBS affiliate, the annual event commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Although Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, it didn't go into effect until January 1, 1863. But it wasn't until June 19, 1865, that federal troops informed slaves in Galveston, Texas, they were free, and African-Americans mark their Independence Day with celebrations throughout the country on that date.
In San Diego, Sidney Cooper Sr. began the annual celebration over 50 years ago. Initially it was a family observance, but it soon became a neighborhood event, according to Thelma Cooper, 86, Sidney Cooper's widow. The Coopers owned several small businesses in Grant Hill, including a hair salon and a barbershop and considered themselves fortunate. She said her late husband was poor but was also a “proud black man” who wanted to help those in need. Mrs. Cooper revealed that her husband once said: “I can't eat when these people are not eating.” Mr. Cooper died 12 years ago, but his family has kept the tradition going, and this year, the Coopers fed more than 3,000 people, all for free.
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