Chester Hancock

There was a time when we weren't even allowed to congregate , or even go to church , said Chester Hancock , coordinator of the event.We got the right to congregate.White people achieved their freedom in 1776.Black people , although some fought in that war , were not freed.The 19th of June is the day of independence for black people.Black people celebrate white freedom July Fourth.They should celebrate their own freedom Juneteenth..
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This is the first year Juneteenth will be publicly celebrated in the Temecula-Murrieta area , Hancock said.

Black people in this area , except for seeing each other in church , not many of us know each other , Hancock said.The theme of this celebration is 'coming together.' That's for all of us , black and white , but especially the blacks coming together here..

Hancock , 71 , has a special connection to the event.Born in Texas , where Juneteenth is a state holiday , Hancock grew up in the small town of Mineola.There , his father used to barbecue every June 19 , a tradition he got from his grandfather before passing it to Hancock.

I knew a man who had been a slave , Hancock said.He was a boy at the end of the Civil War.His house was on the way from school and we'd walk practically across his yard.He'd be sitting on the porch almost every day.He would tell us boys about slavery and how they celebrated once they were told about being free , so we had a good memory about why we celebrated the 19th of June..

Juneteenth is also a celebration of achievement and opportunity , Hancock said , because it was a time when black people got the opportunity to achieve.

I look at my own life , Hancock said , And I'm no Bill Gates , but I've had some success..

Hancock attended Prairie View A&M University , a traditionally black institution in Texas , where he majored in chemistry and minored in math.He earned an MBA from Pepperdine University , served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and made a career in the aeronautic missile field , working on nuclear reactors , defense missiles and engines , including those that took the astronauts to the moon.

He will be celebrating the event with his wife , Tammy , who spent Thursday baking 100 sweet potato pies for the occasion.His daughter , Christina , 17 , who graduates from Murrieta Valley High School this week , and granddaughters Rebekah Day Murphy , 9 , who is visiting from Texas , and Jazmine Hancock , 4 , will also attend the event.

The Murrieta resident hit upon the idea to initiate Juneteenth as a local community event while discussing the subject with his barber.He shared his knowledge with Michael Young , a California native , and the two recruited others and began to plan.