There Will Be a Discussion on Black Civil Rights History, Q&A session, Book Signing
In celebration of Juneteenth, the City of West Hollywood will host an event featuring historian and author Dylan C. Penningroth. The event, titled “In Conversation with Dylan C. Penningroth,” will take place on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the City of West Hollywood’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. The event is free and open to the public, though reservations are requested.
Penningroth, a professor of law and history at the University of California, Berkeley, will discuss his latest book, “Before the Movement: The Hidden History of Black Civil Rights.” The book explores the deep-rooted history of civil rights for African Americans, predating the well-known marches of the 1960s. Penningroth’s research draws on long-forgotten sources from county courthouses, highlighting African Americans’ engagement with the law since the era of slavery.
The event is organized in collaboration with the Reparations Club, a Queer, Black woman-owned bookshop and creative space in Los Angeles, and the City of West Hollywood’s Social Justice Advisory Board. It will include a Q&A session and a book signing curated by the Reparations Club.
Additionally, the City of West Hollywood will raise the Juneteenth flag at City Hall on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, to honor the holiday. Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day, marks the date in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the Confederacy were informed of their freedom.
The West Hollywood City Council established Juneteenth as an observed holiday in June 2020 and as an official City holiday in January 2022. The first Flag-Raising Ceremony took place on June 19, 2022, as part of the city’s efforts to reflect on the end of slavery and to recommit to combating modern-day slavery, human trafficking, and racial injustice.
