A piece from the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat is part of a lively live auction to be held at the Juneteenth celebration in Solvang, but it's just one aspect of a Roaring Twenties take on Black culture that includes music, dancing, specialty cocktails, a mouth-watering menu, and a whole lotta fun — or as organizer Vashti Wilson tagged it: "A little party neva' hurt nobody."
Juneteenth marks a celebration of freedom for the last African Americans held in bondage in the United States, and this will be the fourth event that Wilson has organized for the Santa Ynez Valley. It's still sponsored by Madi's Treasure Box , a "world-changer" project by her young daughter, Madi Wilson, to disperse crayons of all skin tones, but the festivities moved indoors this year from its child-friendly venue outdoors in previous years, is geared toward adults, and will cost $75-$135 to attend.
The change was prompted by the cultural biases some in the valley hold. Even when Juneteenth was a family event, Wilson said she'd been personally targeted by "comments from certain people" — she preferred not to go into detail — that ranged from rude to threatening. LGBTQ-unfriendly political decisions and violence toward a student of color were just the tip of a noisome iceberg for Wilson. "The event has been carefully curated to offer a reprieve from the noise," she said, "the ugly noise generated by a small sect in the community who unfortunately wield great influence."