✊🏿🧡 CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH: Thank you to the Black Culture Collective at Orange County Social Services Agency for having The OCEA Hot Dog Wagon at their Juneteenth Celebration Wednesday, June 19!
SSA’s Black Culture Collective consists of about 60 members, and is a revamp of the former African American Roundtable, which was established at SSA in the 90’s.
The group assembled the lunch to celebrate Juneteenth—a recognition of June 19, 1865—when news of freedom reached enslaved people in Texas, marking a pivotal moment in American history. Juneteenth celebrates liberation, resilience, and the ongoing fight for equality.
“It was a great turnout. We had people coming from different locations—from Garden Grove, OCPC, Santa Ana—not just Eckhoff,” said Rebecca Polee, a Staff Specialist in Children & Family Services at SSA, and a member of the Black Culture Collective.
“We sometimes get so involved and invested in the work and the service that we do. It’s nice to have this downtime, to engage, socialize, and bring some history.”
Juneteenth became a federally-recognized holiday in 2021, and subsequently a State holiday. The recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday was prioritized by our membership and included in our proposal to the County during negotiations in 2023.
The County initially refused, later offering Juneteenth if another holiday or 20 hours from PIP were forfeited. The negotiations team opposed these concessions and suggested alternative solutions, which the County rejected. Negotiations continued, highlighting that every gain requires trade-offs.
If establishing Juneteenth as a holiday is of interest to you, please say so when the next negotiations survey comes your way prior to us returning to the table in 2026.
Years
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Junior Associate at Warschawski
2moThank you for the birthday wishes!