Gant connected workforce development directly to the night’s theme. “When you can understand where we fit into society,” he said, “that is freedom.”
Tina Baltimore, founder of the Sacramento Line Dancers, also was recognized. Baltimore said she began teaching line dancing more than two decades ago after a personal turning point, building what has since grown to roughly a dozen classes across the Sacramento area. Former students now teach their own classes.
“I needed something to do, something that could make a difference, something that could leave a lasting noise,” Baltimore said. “And clearly, it has.”
Also honored were Stevante Clark, executive director of the I Am Sac Foundation, and Cheryl Brownlee, owner of CB Communications.
‘We’ve Become Desensitized’
Clark, known for his public advocacy following the 2018 police killing of his brother Stephon Clark, spoke about recent police violence — including the death of a 1-year-old child in Mississippi and a school resource officer incident in Fairfield.
He said he was considering traveling to Mississippi to stand in solidarity with the family, who since have retained attorney Ben Crump. He also renewed his call to replace school resource officers with community-based mentors.
“When you have brothers that can relate to the people, they’re not feeling like they’re in some kind of militarized facility,” Clark said. He cited organizations including Brother to Brother Neighborhood Mentoring and the Young Gentlemen’s Program as models.
Clark placed the killings in a broader pattern. He said law enforcement officers are held accountable in fewer than 2% of cases involving the deaths of civilians, while Black people — who make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population — account for approximately 28% of those killed by law enforcement.
“If you want to get away with murder in America, go join law enforcement,” Clark said. “The message has been clear: Black lives don’t matter — at least from that side.”
He expressed concern that the relentlessness of the violence has numbed the public.
“As a country, we have become desensitized to the killings of young Black men and babies,” Clark said. “All of it, all together.”
Mayor Kevin McCarty noted during the program that this year marked the first time the City of Sacramento officially recognized Juneteenth — a milestone that lent added significance to an event Sacramento Juneteenth Inc. has sustained for more than two decades without municipal backing.