At Bay Area’s July 4 parades, a focus on family, unity and community

For America’s 246th birthday, Bay Area residents celebrated with their families and communities Monday, starting with the beloved tradition of watching or marching in July 4 parades, which returned to many towns after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With overcast skies keeping morning temperatures pleasant and balmy, attendees waved flags and donned red, white and blue at parades in Alameda and San Jose for the first time since 2019. People seemed especially eager to focus on what they cherish about July 4: Shared traditions that unite people in this country rather than cause divisions.

“It’s a hard place right now with everything that’s happening,” Alameda native Eric Mentch, 53, said at his hometown Fourth of July parade. “This place we’re all in. We got in it together, and the only way we’re going to get out of it is together.”

Along sidewalks in downtown Alameda, the site of America’s longest July 4 parade, a crowd of up to 2,500 gathered two and three people deep along the 3.3-mile route. Residents also stood on their front-yard porches with American flags in one hand and their cell phones in another. Longtime parade attendees noted that the crowd was significantly smaller than it was in 2019, but it was vociferous.

Some tried to make political statements about polarizing Supreme Court rulings, including the overturn of Roe v. Wade, which ended women’s constitutional right to abortion. News also was breaking that yet another mass shooting had just occurred in America, this time at a Fourth of July parade in an affluent suburb north of Chicago. Within hours, the tragedy that left six people dead had sparked another online national debate about guns and violence in America.

But for the day at least, most attendees at Bay Area parades mostly seemed interested in downplaying talk of political and cultural differences.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, Lee was among the dignitaries attending Alameda’s parade, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Alameda Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft. She agreed that divisions make it feel as though the country is coming apart. But she said this tumultuous backdrop shows why such community celebrations are important.

“It’s very significant, because we see all of what we represent as Americans out here in this parade,” Lee said. “Men, women of all ages and backgrounds. The fight continues, but you see that we can be united in that.”

At San Jose’s Rose, White and Blue Parade and Festival in San Jose, some of the thousands in attendance expressed gratitude about being able to meet up with family and friends for a beloved annual event after a two-year hiatus.

“The only years that we missed were the COVID years when (the parade) didn’t happen,” said Kristina Pirlot-Grijalva. She was there with  husband Henry, father Ray and other family members and friends, while her daughter Kailani marched with fellow students from Trace Elementary School in San Jose. “It’s a really good opportunity to get together as a family.”

The parade, which made its way down Dana and Naglee avenues before finishing up on the Alameda, also featured other local groups. One highlight was a procession of beautifully restored classic cars: Impalas, Bel Airs, Mustangs and lowriders, flexing their hydraulics down the parade route.

For Ray and Sandy Ravizza, members of the San Jose Classic Chevys Club, the chance to drive their ’56 Bel Air in the parade let them indulge in some personal nostalgia.  As Sandy Ravizza said, the car was her husband’s present to himself in 1959. She also said, “We dated in it. We got married in it. We brought our kids home from the hospital in it.”

Christine Kamp, attending with daughters Chelsea and Courtney, believes the Rose, White and Blue Parade is important for building a sense of community, especially in a city as big and diverse as San Jose. “I think it’s just nice to celebrate America as a community,” said Kamp. “It’s something I can give my girls.”