Here’s a closer look at California’s connection to Juneteenth

SACRAMENTO — On this Juneteenth, we are taking a closer look at California’s connection to this federal holiday. Contrary to what most of us learned in school, California has a conflicted history of slavery and is now trying to right a wrong.

“Delayed recognition and delayed justice,” that’s how Gary Simon described Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday just two years ago.

Simon, the executive director of the group Sacramento Juneteenth, has been organizing Juneteenth festivities for the past 20 years. And on this day, he shared his knowledge of California’s role in slavery.

“California hadn’t decided if it was going to be a free state, so a lot of enslavers brought their slaves to California,” he told CBS Sacramento.

Many of them were White southerners who arrived with slaves during the gold rush. Even though California entered the union as a free state, it did so with concessions to the South — allowing the recapture of enslaved people like the case of Archy Lee, a young slave from Mississippi brought to Sacramento.

“Sued his master, saying, ‘I’m not a slave,’ so it went to the Supreme Court of California,” Simon said of Lee.

Lee would be one of many enslaved people living in California and fighting for freedom. Even after the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment, it would take rallying cries from the Black community and supporters to set in motion a truly free state, adding importance to the Juneteenth holiday.

“We hope that people walk away with a better understanding and acceptance of what you don’t know,” Simon said.

California is also exploring the idea of reparations to Black citizens in the state. Gov, Gavin Newsom has formed a task force committee looking into possible monetary compensation.