Soulful star Goapele takes center stage at Seaside’s Juneteenth celebration.

When Goapele Mohlabane steps onto the stage at Laguna Grande Park in Seaside, the occasion will carry the full weight of its meaning.

The Oakland-born R&B singer-songwriter, activist and entrepreneur performs at the city’s Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 13. Few artists could be better suited to mark a holiday rooted in Black freedom than one whose very name – drawn from the Setswana language of Southern Africa – means “to move forward.”

Born to a South African father who fled apartheid and a German-Jewish mother who attended protests at age 12, Goapele came into activism naturally. She grew up in Berkeley, led peer-support groups as a pre-teen and studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston before returning to the Bay Area to build one of the most distinctive careers in contemporary soul.

In 2006, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights named her its first-ever Human Rights Cultural Hero – a distinction that reflects the seamless way her music and advocacy have always intertwined. She has since partnered with Common’s Imagine Justice, Represent Justice, and A New Way of Life Foundation, been a face of public health campaigns and aligned herself with the Movement for Black Lives.

All of which makes a Juneteenth stage a natural home for her. This year carries extra reason to celebrate: 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of her debut album, Closer, and the anthem that gave it its name is part of the R&B history. “Closer” wasn’t just a hit. It became a soundtrack for the dreams and goals of Black women, and is still powerful a quarter of a century later.

Goapele has since released six studio albums, the latest being Colours (2023), a seven-track collection she describes as her most personal work yet. Written during the Covid-19 pandemic, Colours explores self-acceptance, trust and healing. Its standout tracks – the luminous “Purple,” the meditative “Time Heals” and the raw, vulnerable “Enough” – reveal an artist still mining new emotional depths.

“I’ve always wanted to positively impact the world,” she says. “Anytime my music ignites or inspires someone else, it’s a dream come true for me.”

GOAPELE plays as part of the 7th Annual Juneteenth in Seaside. 1pm Saturday, June 13. Laguna Grande Park, 1249 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. Free. juneteenth.montereycounty@gmail.com, @montereycountyblackcaucus.