Ghostly Goods Zone has arisen from a long period of hibernation! This time awoken as an experience in the physical world for the first time.

Set Up and Event Details

San Fernando Valley Pride: The Reawakening (SFV Pride) took place on Saturday June 19^th 2021 at North Hollywood Park (11430 Chandler Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601-3161). Ghostly Goods Zone arrived at around 11am and met up with the main point of contact for vendors, Daniel Rodriguez. From there we were assisted with setting up the stall with the help of the many generous volunteers.

As Ghostly Goods Zone was setting up we took note of the other vendors around us setting up. It was amazing to see so many resources available! There were beauty and grooming services, housing assistance, free STI/D testing, and free community healing sessions. After a period of turbulence and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed quite fitting that this years San Fernando Valley Pride be centered around renewal and restoration.

Ghostly Goods finished setting up soon after arrival, displaying the art, apparel, and accessories for sale. Yet as the day wore on, we hovered over to a shadier spot; the heat that was experienced that day was strong and SFV Pride was generous enough to provide free water to all who attended. Ghostly Goods Zone was able to distribute water that day thanks to Daniel for providing us with a case. Besides resources, SFV Pride featured various performances, such as Vogueing, Drag Performances, and Poetry Reading from members of the community.

About the Ghostly Goods Zone Stall

Originally this project, Ghostly Goods Zone, was conceived to spread queer, ecologically conscious, and informative art across the Digital Realm. However, after a brief period of rest and reflection, we’ve decided to find other meaningful ways to impact the World by returning to the Physical Realm, bringing with us apparel and other adornments.

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Of the main wares provided at SFV Pride, Ghostly Goods Zone materialized art (traditional illustrations and stickers), clean repurposed/altered apparel, and handmade totes. All items (apart from the stickers) are unique, only one if its kind is in existence.

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After witnessing many smiles and positive energy Ghostly Goods Zone decided to continue making journeys into the Physical Realm part of its habit.

A Brief History of Jueteenth

SFV Pride was partly dedicated to and in honor of Juneteenth.  For those who are not aware Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day) is an important day in the American consciousness marking the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. This is important to note given the fact that The Emancipation Proclamation had already been in effect for two and a half years at that point.

 As grateful as we were to be able to celebrate and honor this day we couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that many are still unaware of this nations history with enslavement and racism due to conservative efforts to prevent teaching in public schooling. Reading another page on the history of Juneteenth reminded us of the fact that we were not taught about this in LAUSD during the early 2000s.

Given the importance of this day we can’t help but notice that Juneteenth was merely an observational holiday up until recently when it was declared a federal holiday in the U.S.,a reminder that liberation is constant work and effort.

Its important to note that SFV Pride chose to perform this labor on Juneteenth by focusing on black and brown performances as well as educational speeches throughout the event. If the queer community is to move forward we must honor the black queer revolutionaries and ancestors who came before us.

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Final Thoughts and Thanks

We return in the year 2021 with many updates and growth. Thankful are we to have been blessed with the opportunity and blessed with a chance to pay respect to the community, past present and future. It was inspiring to see the queer family gathered once again for a day of celebration and restoration. We hope to keep exploring the world and meeting other members of the community.

Until next time,

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