The City of Richmond came alive Saturday as thousands of festivalgoers gathered at Nicholl Park for the annual Juneteenth Parade and Festival, marking one of the largest celebrations of African American freedom and culture in the Bay Area.
The day began at 10 a.m. with a parade that wound its way from Cutting Boulevard through 37th Street and Macdonald Avenue, featuring classic cars, the Richmond High School Marching Band, city departments, and community organizations.
Grand Marshal Art Johnson, a retired Richmond Police Department Captain, reflected on the historical significance of the day as he surveyed the celebrating crowds following the parade.
Johnson was one of the Black Nine, a group of Richmond Police officers who filed the first internal lawsuit in a police department in the United States challenging racial discrimination in 1968…