The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! 15th Anniversary Fundraising Gala is a celebration of Black Girl Magic that you don’t want to miss.
The star-studded night will feature the incomparable Queen of FunkChaka Khan, stunning vocal powerhouse Alice Smith, GRAMMY® nominated virtuoso Maimouna Youssef aka MuMu Fresh, GRAMMY Award-winning gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard, DC’s all-woman go-go band Bela Dona and Def Leppard lead guitarist, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Inductee Phil Collen.

Actress-singer Tatyana Ali and hip-hop icon MC Lyte, will host the event, with appearances by acclaimed actor Wood Harris, GRAMMY® Award winning artist Estelle, and more.

Held in Downtown Long Beach and filled with entertainment and guest speakers, bring your family and friends to come honor this monumental Juneteenth celebration together.

Join the City of Long Beach as we build, educate, and celebrate the community in support of, in and around the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth is the national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation- which became official January 1, 1963.

The Emancipation Proclamation had little effect on Texas due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.