Juneteenth observances will be held across North Jersey. Here's our list of events

Ricardo Kaulessar, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·6 min read
12

Two years after President Joe Biden signed the bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday, and three years after Gov. Phil Murphy made it a state holiday, events will be held throughout North Jersey celebrating this important day in the African American community.

On June 19, 1865, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to give enslaved Black people the news that their owners never told them: President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years earlier. The years that followed saw Juneteenth celebrations across Texas, which later spread across the South and to various other areas in the United States.

Those wanting to recognize Juneteenth can do so at various events, from a festival in Bloomfield to a silent walk from Hackensack to Teaneck. All events listed are free to the public.

A Juneteenth Celebration was held at the American Dream center in East Rutherford last year.
A Juneteenth Celebration was held at the American Dream center in East Rutherford last year.

More: With Juneteenth now a national holiday, could Election Day and Indigenous Peoples Day be next?

More: Social media empowers a generation of Americans about Juneteenth, Black history

Bergen County

Bergenfield

The Bergenfield Museum Society will host a rededication of the African American Baptist Church Cemetery on June 17 at 11 a.m. The cemetery, located on Cedar Street (near the PAL field), was once the final resting place of former slaves who settled in the area starting in the 1870s. However, the cemetery has no tombstones and has been recognized only with a marker from the Bergen County Historical Society.

Fair Lawn

A Community Celebration of Freedom will take place on June 19, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Fair Lawn Community Center gym, sponsored by the Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce and Fair Lawn Main Street. The celebration will feature music and dancing, the Juneteenth Museum & Art Showcase, food and drinks for sale, a vendor showcase, family art activities and a library reading area.

Hackensack

  • The Bergen County Juneteenth commemoration will occur on June 15, at 12:30 p.m. at the county Courthouse Green (10 Main St.)

  • Juneteenth Festival at Carver Park (294 Second St.) from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on June 17. There will be speeches from public figures, live performances, food trucks and face painting.

Leonia

The Bergen County NAACP will hold its Juneteenth Celebration in Overpeck Park (40 Fort Lee Road) on June 17 from 12 to 5 p.m.

Little Ferry

Bergen County will open the historic Gethsemane Cemetery for tours on June 17, 18 and 19 from 12 to 4 p.m. in celebration of the holiday. The cemetery opened in 1860 for burying area African American residents.

Lodi

A Juneteenth Celebration of Black Excellence will be held on June 15 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Elan (111 Route 46 West). The evening event will honor State Assembly members Britnee Timberlake and Benji Wimberly.

Teaneck

  • A "Silent Walk" from Fairleigh Dickinson University's Martin Luther King Jr. Monument in Hackensack to the Pomander Walk Burial Ground on June 17 starts at 8 a.m.

  • A reading of "19 Days to Juneteenth" will take place on June 18 at the Teaneck Public Library (840 Teaneck Road) at 2 p.m. That will be followed by Juneteenth crafts for children.

  • At 12 p.m. on June 19, a flag-raising ceremony will mark the holiday in Milton A. Votee Park on Palisade Avenue.

  • The Juneteenth Concert Celebration will be held at the Teaneck Public Library's Municipal Green on June 19 from 7 to 8:45 p.m. The outdoor concert will feature Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Reggie Pittman and the Pittman/Daniels Quartet. The event will be held in the library's auditorium if there's rain.

More: Newark native Queen Latifah gives a voice to Harriet Tubman monument in city park

Passaic County

Paterson

Paterson's Juneteenth celebration will be held in Eastside Park (Vreeland Avenue and East 33rd St.) on June 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The all-day celebration, hosted by the Paterson Juneteenth Committee, will feature performances by native Paterson dance music stars Adeva, Sybil, and Riff as well as worship service and speakers.

Passaic

Passaic's 4th Annual Juneteenth Festival will be held on June 17 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the Passaic City Hall Courtyard (330 Passaic Street). There will be fireworks and free food.

Prospect Park

Prospect Park's 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration will take place on June 16 at 6 p.m. in front of the Municipal Building (106 Brown Ave.).

Morris County

Morristown Juneteenth Weekend brings together five non-profit organizations for a three-day event at major cultural venues:

Morristown

  • Art in the Atrium's Public Reception of Black Art in the Sun takes place on June 15, 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Morris County Administration and Records Building (10 Court St.).

  • Morris Museum’s Juneteenth Party Celebration is on June 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. This event for ages 21 and over and RSVP is required. The museum is at 6 Normandy Heights Road.

  • Sankofa’s Juneteenth Festival of Morris County will be held on June 17 from 12 to 5 p.m. at The Green and Pioneer Plaza.

  • The Presbyterian Church of Morristown presents Juneteenth Conversations on June 17 with the following panels: Dionne Ford, author of "Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing" from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., "The African American Patient Experience - How to Be an Advocate for Yourself" from 2 to 3 p.m. and "Juneteenth: Celebrating and Defining Our Freedom and Our Humanity" from 4:15 to 5 p.m.

Walk this way: Walk this way: Jersey City show highlights 50-year fusion of hip-hop and sneaker culture

Essex County

Bloomfield

Bloomfield’s Juneteenth celebration will be held on June 17 from 12 to 6 p.m. at Glenwood Avenue. There will be a spotlight on Black-owned businesses as well as vendors, games, and performances.

Montclair

  • Juneteenth Jubilee at Hillside Elementary School (54 Orange Road) from 12 to 6 p.m. on June 17 (UPDATE: Rescheduled due to weather until June 24) will feature guest speakers, a vendors village, food trucks, face painters, pony rides and a story corner. Before the celebration starts, there will be a pouring of libations and blessing at 11:30 a.m. on the grounds at the Howe House, the historic home on Claremont Avenue that was once owned by freed slave James Howe. Following this, there will be a march from the house to the school.

  • Juneteenth at the Montclair Pre-K will be held on June 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school (49 Orange Road). There will be live performances, history and culture presentations.

Verona

The community is invited to a Juneteenth flag raising ceremony on June 19 at 11 a.m. at the Verona Civic Center (600 Bloomfield Ave.).

Sussex County

Newton

The H3AL Network will be hosting its 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on June 19 at Memory Park from 2 to 6 p.m. The celebration will feature live music, performances and speakers.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul 

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Juneteenth: List of weekend events in North Jersey for 2023