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Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on June 19th each year in the United States. It commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and is a significant milestone in the country’s history. It symbolizes the end of chattel slavery in the United States, marking a turning point in the nation’s struggle for freedom and equality. It represents the recognition of the inherent rights and dignity of African Americans, who had endured centuries of bondage and oppression.

Additionally, Juneteenth serves as a reminder of the resilience, strength, and perseverance of African Americans throughout history. Despite the delayed news of their freedom, they embraced Juneteenth as a day of celebration and empowerment, using it as a platform to advocate for civil rights, equality, and social justice.

Take the Capitol Corridor to Juneteenth events near you:

• Sacramento Station:
  California State Capitol Juneteenth Celebration, California State Capitol Museum
  6/19
  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-california-state-capitol-juneteenth-holiday-celebration-tickets-554804353757

  Sacramento Juneteenth Festival, William Land Park
  6/16-6/18
  https://fox40.com/community-calendar/#!/details/Sacramento-Juneteenth-Festival/11659649/2023-06-17T11

• Oakland Jack London Station:
  Oakland’s 14th Annual Juneteenth Festival, Lake Merritt
  6/17
  https://www.visitoakland.com/event/14th-annual-juneteenth-festival-presented-by-afrocentric-oakland/31072/

  Oakland 16th Annual Juneteenth Celebration & Street Festival, 3233 Market Street Oakland, CA 94608
  6/24
  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oakland-16th-annual-juneteenth-celebration-street-festival-freedom-day-tickets-633089506757

• San Francisco Station (Emeryville/ Richmond Station):
  Juneteenth on the Waterfront, Ferry Building
  6/10
  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-on-the-waterfront-tickets-637715102037

  Juneteenth Festival on Fillmore, 1330 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA
  6/17-6/18
  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-festival-fillmore-sf-live-music-kids-zone-fashion-free-rsvp-tickets-616663736837

• San Jose Station:
  42nd Annual Juneteenth in the Streets Festival, African American Community Services
  6/17
  https://bayarearegistry.com/event/42nd-annual-juneteenth-in-the-streets-festival/

Happy Pride Month! Pride Month is an annual celebration where we come together to honor and uplift the LGBTQ+ community. It serves as a powerful reminder that every individual deserves to live authentically, without fear, or prejudice. By celebrating Pride Month, we affirm our commitment to creating a world where love, respect, and inclusivity triumph over discrimination and bigotry.

Take the Capitol Corridor to the largest Pride celebrations in Northern California! Sit back, relax, and head to the Café Car for our special pride drink this month! Take advantage of our Take 5 for $5 deal and book your trip with friends and family today: https://www.capitolcorridor.org/take5/

• Sacramento Station:
  Sacramento Pride Festival- Capitol Mall and 7th Street
  6/10, 12pm-9pm and 6/11, 12pm-6pm
  https://sacramentopride.org/pride-festival-info/
• San Francisco (Emeryville/ Richmond Station):
  San Francisco Pride Celebration- Market Street from Embarcadero to City Hall
  6/24 – 6/25
  https://sfpride.org/
• Oakland Jack London Station:
  Black Pride Festival- Oakland, Multiple Locations
  6/28-7/7
  https://www.oaklandblackpride.org/eventsPrideFest Oakland- 20th and Broadway
  9/10
  https://www.visitoakland.com/events/annual-events/oakland-pride-parade-festival
• San Jose Station:
  Silicon Valley Pride Celebration- Plaza de Cesar Chaves Park (Downtown San Jose)
  8/26-8/27
  https://www.svpride.com/

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions and impacts by members from the community. Transportation plays a huge role in revitalizing, reshaping, and defining communities – especially when it comes to public transportation. Transportation is all about improving mobility, connecting people and places to each other, and making communities accessible.  The AAPI community has played a big role in improving public transportation and equity in today’s society.

The Unforgotten Heroes of the Transcontinental Railroad

The Gold Rush attracted many settlers to the US, but also persuaded Chinese workers to come for a better life and opportunity. From 1863 and 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the Transcontinental Railroad, which connected the East Coast and West Coast of the United States, facilitating economic expansion. Chinese workers made up most of the workforce, working on roughly 700 miles of train tracks between Sacramento, California, and Promontory, Utah. By the 19th century, more than 2.5 million Chinese citizens had left their country and were hired in 1864 after a labor shortage threatened the railroad’s completion.

Even though many Chinese workers were offered a new opportunity, they worked under excruciating conditions. Chinese workers received 30-50 percent lower wages than whites for the same job, earning only $26 a month. They also had the most difficult and dangerous work, including tunneling and the use of explosives. This resulted in an eight-day strike in June 1867. The strike ended without pay parity after Central Pacific (employer) cut off food, transportation and supplies to the Chinese living in camps, but working conditions improved following the strike.

It is important to recognize the sacrifices and establishments of Chinese workers during this time. The Transcontinental Railroad would not have possible without them. They also established a strong Asian community in California, especially San Francisco. Chinese immigrants fought against discrimination for decades and created a better society for all Asian communities in the US.

Read about a story of how a Stanford student discovered that his ancestor, Lim Lip Hong, helped build the Central Pacific Railroad, the westernmost portion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

AAPI Events Near You:

To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, take the Capitol Corridor to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento! It is a short and easy walk from our Sacramento Station and features the Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience. This permanent exhibit provides a glimpse of the Chinese workers who built the western portion of the nation’s first Transcontinental Railroad.

Visit Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience web page here

Sacramento Station:

• California State Railroad Museum: Chinese Railroad Workers’ Experience Exhibit
• AAPI Night Market– Capitol Mall, May 19 from 6pm-10pm

San Francisco (Emeryville/Richmond Station)

• AAPI Heritage Festival– SF Chinatown, May 20 from 11am-5pm
• SF Bay Area AAPI Dance Film Festival– Kapwa Gardens, May 14 from 2pm-8pm

Oakland Jack London

• Celebrating Our HeART-filled Heritage: Son of Paper– Oakland Asian Cultural Center, May 13 from 6pm-8pm
• Annie’s T Cakes & Oakland Fortune Cookie Factory’s Generations of Joy– Chinatown, May 13 from 10am-6pm
• Kularts Agos Performance– Lake Merritt Children’s Fairyland. May 14 from 1:30pm-2:20pm

San Jose

• AAPI Heritage Month Celebration– San Jose Flea Market, May 19 from 5pm-9pm