Jersey City To Celebrate Juneteenth With Several Activities

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The city of Jersey City is planning to celebrate Juneteenth starting on Friday with several events. Juneteenth, short for June 19th, is a 155-year-old holiday that celebrates the emancipation of African Americans from slavery in the United States. Read more about its history here.

Among the local celebrations, NJ.com says that Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has declared the day a holiday and will close municipal offices for the first time.

Also, according to an NJ.com story, there are several events in the area on Friday:

• A Juneteenth picnic is set for noon at Liberty State Park.
• A celebration will be held from 12 to 5 p.m. on MLK Drive, from Kearny Avenue to Bayview Avenue.
• An event called the Black-Owned Initiative will be held from at City Hall from 2 to 4 p.m.

On the web, the Northern New Jersey Juneteenth 2000 Commemmorative Committee says it will hold its First Annual Week Long Celebration June 18-25. Including:

• "The Unforgotten Fathers of Freedom" Prayer Services and Dinner Awards. Tickets are $15. For more information, call Melissa Holloway.
• There will also be an all-day Family and Friends Day: It Takes a Village To Raise A Child, with face painting, arts and crafts, comedy, potato sack races, African Dance, jazz, gospel, and reggae music, barbecue, and a pie contest. See the link and contact: Arnold B. Williams, committee chairperson, at (201) 332-3207 or (201) 200-9819.

The Frederick Douglass Republican Family, 155 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, will hold a second annual Juneteenth Parade on MLK Jr. Drive Saturday at noon. Participants to be announced. Call (201) 451-3200/435-1616/fax 451-3600/pager 479-4381.

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