A Juneteenth celebration hosted by the social justice committee of Bronx Community Charter School in Norwood was held at the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Monday, June 19.

 

The school, located at 3170 Webster Avenue in Norwood, first launched what they intend to be an annual celebration last year, as reported. Held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event included musical performances, reading, arts and crafts, and reflections on the meaning of the holiday.

 

One little girl seated on a beanbag was seen lost in a book during the event.

 

Other children were assisted making paper butterflies for a memorial stand in tribute to people they knew who have passed away.

 

Some songs were sung by special education teacher Dawn Campbell and others.

Other musical activities included a collective drum performance which the kids, including 7th Grader, Camrin, seemed to thoroughly enjoy. In addition, there were arts and crafts and other educational activities.

 

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, and its name is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth. It is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865.

 

Coming two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it is recognized as the effective end of slavery in the United States and it is widely considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth was officially designated as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden.

 

On June 19, 2020, then New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Juneteenth would become a New York City and school holiday. The announcement came in the wake of worldwide protests which followed the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a now former police officer, Derek Chauvin, in May 2020 in Minneapolis. Chauvin was convicted of killing Floyd in April 2021.

A Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission (RRC) was also established in New York City in 2020 to promote social learning, collective introspection, and policy action. In addition, the Commission was launched to create a historical record of racial discrimination, with an emphasis on housing, criminal justice, environmental racism and public health disparity.

 

In 2022, New York City Mayor Eric Adams designated Juneteenth a paid New York City holiday. In 2021, the holiday was marked with a special ceremony which included the consecration of African Burial Ground at Van Cortlandt Park.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.