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The Owner Of Bludso’s Bar & Que Has Some Advice For Juneteenth 2020
Kevin Bludso. (Courtesy Bludso's Facebook page)
Kevin Bludso, the owner of Bludso's Bar & Que on La Brea in mid-city, has advice for people recognizing Juneteenth this year: "It's a celebration. Enjoy it — like I enjoy the Fourth of July."
Born and raised in Compton to parents who were Texas transplants, Bludso spent summers with his grandmother, Willie Mae Fields, in Corsicana, Texas where she ran a weekend barbeque stand.
Bludso told KPCC's Take Two that Juneteenth was "huge" for his grandmother, especially because she knew people who learned they were freed on June 19, 1865.
The night before the holiday, she’d stay up all night cooking a brisket. It’s a talent he learned from her. "We took cuts of meat... and made them into works of art," he says.
How does Bludso feel about the current civil rights movement tear down systemic racism and support Black lives?
"I'm feeling confident because I'm looking at the marches. The marchers are a melting pot, you know. You got White, Black, Hispanic, Asians out there marching, and I see hope. I mean, you hate [that] somebody had to die. You hate [that] people have to die. I feel for the families. But I feel confident seeing this next generation because, just look at them! I mean, it's almost equal [amounts] of different races out there marching like, Hey It's enough It's enough! Until my problem becomes your problem, it's not gonna get no better. That’s the way it’s been. This next generation is saying, 'My problem is your problem.'"
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