Comcast Celebrates Juneteenth with the Bay Area

On Saturday, June 14th, thousands of community members gathered in downtown San Jose to celebrate Juneteenth at the African American Community Service Agency’s (AACSA) 44th Annual Juneteenth in the Streets Festival. Year after year, the Juneteenth festival fills the streets with joy and community to honor African American Emancipation Day.

AACSA’s day-long festival hosts local vendors, art, food, activities, and live music and entertainment. Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling R&B singer Mario headlined this year’s event and NBC Bay Area’s Marcus Washington hosted a fireside chat with actor and 4-time NAACP Image award winner Lance Gross.

The festival featured a dynamic panel discussion including Jacob Mitchell, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Comcast California, Latoya Rowell from Comerica Bank, and Kenneth Cherry from Amazon. The Corporate Panel highlighted the role corporations can play in driving economic empowerment.

Emphasizing economic development as a foundation for community strength, panelists pointed to initiatives like Comcast’s RISE program and Project UP, which support small businesses through funding and volunteerism. Addressing digital opportunity, the panel called on tech companies to ensure equitable access; Comcast’s Internet Essentials and regional expansions were cited as examples. The panel also explored how companies can support educational and professional growth, with Comcast offering tuition assistance to empower employee development. Ultimately, economic development was framed as a holistic effort rooted in community investment, opportunity creation, and inclusive leadership.

From participating in AACSA’s Juneteenth Festival to the Hella Juneteenth Festival at the Oakland Museum of California on June 19th, Comcast is proud to rejoice in Juneteenth with the Bay Area communities where we live, work, and play.