POCATELLO — Two days after President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday, over 200 Gate City area residents came together in Pocatello on Saturday to celebrate the day.

Hosted by the Pocatello Branch of the NAACP, Pocatello’s Juneteenth celebration included a picnic, live ethic music and several keynote presentations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pocatello Senior Activity Center at 427 N. Sixth Ave.

Juneteenth is a holiday in observance of the anniversary of Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arriving in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Granger and his Union soldiers spread word in Texas that the Civil War had ended and the slaves were free.

“It was a long day but turned out to be a great event,” said Kenneth Monroe, the president of the NAACP’s Pocatello branch. “As far as the program goes, we had some lawn games out for the kids and some live music going, which was nice for a change. We talked about what Juneteenth is all about, announced our NAACP scholarship winners and then broke out the grill and everyone ate.”

The Pocatello Police Department donated burgers, hot dogs, buns and a large grill to cook all the food for the event. Chief Roger Schei said it was a no-brainer to participate in the celebration considering Juneteenth falls within the department’s mission statement of community commitment.

“I’ve been a member of the local NAACP for several years and this is something that we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future,” Schei said. “It’s aligned with our mission statement of community commitment and was a great event that provided a good time for everybody involved.”

Coaches and players from Idaho State University’s football program also participated in the event.

This year’s NAACP scholarship winners were Highland High School graduate Isabella Bantini, who is enrolled to study biology at ISU, and Stephen Aifegha, who recently graduated from ISU with a bachelor’s degree in art and has plans to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York, according to Pocatello NAACP Education Committee chair Lana Gribas.

Though Monroe is thankful that Juneteenth will now be recognized as a federal holiday, he also joins numerous other Black community leaders who hope that the symbolic gesture is presented along with actual accompanying economic and structural change.

“Juneteenth is something that I’ve always felt like we have needed to celebrate,” Monroe said. “The news that it became a federal holiday is great, especially because over time more and more people won’t have to ask others what it’s all about. But one thing we talked about at the event is this being just a symbolic gesture and it can’t stop at that. There is still a lot more that needs to be done, but in some areas like Idaho, and Pocatello particularly, this is a great first step. Juneteenth is a part of our history and it’s something that we need to remember.”

In 2019, Juneteenth in Pocatello entailed a small picnic in a park. Last year, the event spanned the full afternoon and into the evening with speeches, a picnic, a barbecue dinner, community discussions, a march, a candlelight vigil and a screening of the documentary “13th,” which explores “the intersection of race, justice and mass incarceration in the U.S.”

Far greater awareness of Juneteenth sparked last year — a time when the coronavirus was disproportionately affecting Black communities and widespread demonstrations had been taking place against police brutality and racism. National protests erupted when 46-year-old Black Minnesota man, George Floyd, was murdered by a white police officer who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes.

It was shortly after Floyd’s murder that former Pocatello City Councilman and local Realtor Jim Johnston joined the Pocatello NAACP. Monroe said Johnston played a monumental role in organizing the local Juneteenth event.

“Jim Johnston in particular worked with us really hard to get this event put together,” Monroe said. “He had some feelings about how important this event was for our community, which are probably feelings that are much different than he used to have. Participating in our organization and attending some meetings has somewhat changed his opinion on a few things.”

Johnston agreed with what Monroe had to say about his own sentiment changing over the past year, which Johnston says started after he observed how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Russell Nelson warmly received Derrick Johnson, the national NAACP president, about a year ago. Also, Johnston says his participation in the National Association of Realtors At Home With Diversity certification program, a designation Johnston now holds, helped him understand how to be a better citizen for all groups of people.

“This program helped me understand the attributes of diversity in our local market and taught me how to be a better person for not just people that are white or people of color, but for people that (identify as LGBTQ+) and everyone that might be just a little different than what I grew up with,” said Johnston, who’s white.

Johnston added that it may have taken him a while to understand, but his ideologies on race have shifted and definitely for the better.

“I determined a while ago that I wanted to better myself and by doing so I could help other people,” Johnston said. “I was sensitive to other people when I was on the City Council but was so busy that I couldn’t do much. With more time on my hands, I was able to get involved and when I joined the NAACP I gained not only a new friend in Ken (Monroe), but with a whole bunch of people. I’ve learned to love these people like my own family.

Johnston continued, “Recently, one of my granddaughters married a Black man, and, you know, that was really contrary to my culture when I was growing up. I have had to make some adjustments in my own thinking and my own behavior and it’s been great. The world needs to adapt. We can’t stay with the old paradigm and I am glad to be part of the change.”