HarlemLIVE

Saturday June 19th marked the day of Harlem’s Juneteenth celebration on 116th St. and Lenox. The celebration was fortunately marked by pleasant weather, of which attendants were grateful for. Juneteenth is an annual celebration of the late emancipation of Texas’ slaves. It has bloomed to a celebration of family unity communal advancement.
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Every neighborhood should have this kind of celebration. I come here for my children. But Juneteenth is a forgotten part of black history. It could be improved by bringing all people together from politicians to members of the community.” Mohammad’s ideas encompass the span of Juneteenth’s meaning and imperative. Juneteenth’s historical significance can further fuel unanimity among people of all backgrounds.

Juneteenth began on June 19th 1865 in Texas. Word of the emancipation Proclamation reached Texas two years after the war was over. The state holiday spread internationally to become a celebration of black pride and freedom.

Although the holiday originated in Texas, it has spread nationwide and internationally. North Carolina, South Carolina, and California have many Juneteenth celebrations. Even Anchorage, Alaska celebrates Juneteenth. Internationally, Juneteenth is celebrated in Japan, Germany, Jerusalem and England.

Juneteenth is nonexclusive to African Americans because its primary objective is the coming together of all people. But this can only be achieved through widespread recognition of the holiday.

Matisha Posha has been coordinating the event for 10 years. She’s a vendor that sells African crafts and does fundraising for schools. “We need to celebrate Juneteenth. It benefits the community” she says. Sharon Adams and Almanettin are two other women who attended the event for its family oriented programs. The two are court employees at the Guardians Associated. Through their traveling, they noted that other states have a larger celebration. At this particular event in Harlem there were 80 people in attendance.

Those that attended the celebration in Harlem engaged in lighthearted events. There was a double-dutch contest and performances including singing, poetry reading and motivational speech. Two contestants in the double-dutch contest were Corrine and Aisha. They were twelve-year-old girls from the neighborhood. “We jump rope a lot. We’re about to compete.” They said nervously. This contest was one of the appeals towards young children attending the event.

Adults sat to watch riveting performances from local entertainers. Each entertainer brought forth stylistic depictions of the truth promising messages with their performance. After his performance, I talked to a rapper, Finsta who was attending Juneteenth for the first time. Finsta talked about a little about his rapping career; he usually focuses on politics. “I rap about the ‘hood and the community and ways that we can better ourselves.” He then added. “The best way we can start to better ourselves is through unity.”

People can benefit greatly from the celebration of Juneteenth. The historical significance lay in the spirit of freedom. The holiday inspires awareness, hope, and harmony. The event in Harlem showed this through its light-hearted celebration. Juneteenth encompasses a reminder of the past and a great promise for the future.