Photo: Chief Thomi Perryman of the Seminole John Horse Band, will be keynote speaker at Seminole Mascogo event.
This Juneteenth, WorldBeat Center in Balboa Park is reminding us of something powerful: the fight for Black freedom was never confined to one moment, one place, or one people. WorldBeat Center is inviting the entire San Diego community to two free events to honor Black freedom and resilience on June 19 and 21, 2026.
From the swamps of Florida to the deserts of northern Mexico, from the coded calls of the barred owl to the drumbeats echoing across generations, these events celebrate what Juneteenth truly means: the unbreakable human will to be free.
On Friday, June 19th from 7-9 PM, WorldBeat Cultural Center hosts Juneteenth Celebrates theUnderground Railroad That Ran South Into Mexico for Freedom, an evening dedicated to the Mascogos of Coahuila, Mexico, descendants of the Black Seminoles who sought liberation south of the border after Mexico abolished slavery in 1829. Keynote speaker Chief Thomi Perryman (hereditary chief of the United Warrior Band of the Seminole Nation/John Horse Band and founder of the Warren Perryman Foundation for Native American Research) will deliver a powerful visual presentation on the transnational legacy of these freedom seekers. For over 150 years, the Mascogos have celebrated Juneteenth as the Day of the Blacks, a tradition that deserves to be known, honored, and shared widely.
Then on Sunday, June 21st from 9 AM to 1 PM, the 4th Annual Harriet Tubman
Freedom Bird Walk brings the community together in one of the most moving and imaginative ways imaginable. Presented in partnership with Celebrate Urban Birds of
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, San Diego Bird Alliance, and SoCal Bird Nerds, this gathering weaves birdwatching, cultural storytelling, and hands-on learning into a living tribute to Harriet Tubman herself, who used the calls of the barred owl as coded signals along the Underground Railroad.
Participants will use the Merlin Bird ID app for guided birdwatching, plant serviceberries, join an African Peace Drum Circle, and share in a Juneteenth Freedom Soul Plate. It is history felt in the body, not just read on a page.
Both events are free and held at WorldBeat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd,
San Diego, CA 92101, a cultural home rooted in the African Diaspora and Indigenous traditions, right in the heart of Balboa Park. Come to learn. Come to remember. Come to rise together.
