City's Juneteenth Parade to Honor 3

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery, and organizers of Peekskill’s annual event want you to partake of the festivities this year.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, TX with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free. This event occurred more than two and a half years after Jan. 1, 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation became official.

Juneteenth, also known as “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day”, is a holiday created by Black people in the United States to honor and celebrate African American ancestry, history, achievements and struggles. Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 43 states as well as the District of Columbia.

In celebration of this event, the Peekskill Juneteenth Heritage Committee, with support from the City of Peekskill, will host its Fifth Annual Juneteenth Parade June 20. And for this year’s parade the committee has named three trailblazers as their Grand Marshals: Gloria Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney, and James Taylor.

The parade will start at 2p.m., preceded by a short ceremony at Park Street AME Zion Church at 1:30 p.m. The parade will kick off on Park Street in front of the church, and end at the corner of South and Smith Streets.

At Peekskill’s Riverfront Green Park, beginning at 11 a.m., there will be a variety and diversity of food vendors, as well as crafts, clothing and artifacts representative of African, African American, Caribbean, and American culture.

Entertainment from 4-8 p,m., includes a lineup of gospel, jazz, and hip hop music, plus dance and poetry, which will be performed on the Peekskill Show Mobile stage. The evening’s dance music will be provided by SOUL FUSION, a local Peekskill R & B band.

Underground Railroad Tours will be offered by LaFern Joseph, leaving from The Fern Tree at 13 South Division Street in downtown Peekskill.

This 150th Anniversary of the Commemoration of Juneteenth is a joyous celebration because it reminds us that “Victory Is Possible.”

Admission to the park is free, so come out and show your support for this historic event.

It is very important that as a community we celebrate African-American emancipation from slavery, and recognize our three trailblazers, organizers said.

About the honorees:

• Jerry Pinkney is an author, illustrator, and artist. Since 1964 he has illustrated over 100 children’s books and 14 novels, authored the re-telling of several beloved stories, and received over 100 awards and honors for his work. These awards include a Caldecott Medal, five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards, and four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. Jerry Pinkney is one of the most heralded children’s book illustrators of all times. Growing up in Philadelphia, Pinkney fought through the difficulties associated with dyslexia and graduated from school with honors and then went on to attend the Philadelphia Museum College of Art on a full scholarship. He continues to write, illustrate, and paint.
• Gloria Jean Pinkney was born in Lumberton, NC. While attending high school in Philadelphia, she met her husband Jerry, who attributes much of his success to her long- standing involvement in his work. Over the years, she has collaborated with Jerry in making quality books for children. However, Gloria is an author in her own right and has produced several of her own books. Her early years of growing up in North Carolina and Philadelphia provided her with the inspiration to write two of her critically acclaimed children’s books: Back Home, and The Sunday Outing. Her book, In the Forest of your Remembrance, provides us with a glimpse into her deeply sensitive, spiritual and religious nature and shows how she came to recognize the many miraculous events in her life. The Pinkneys are a remarkable family of artists and writers who are committed to telling stories that celebrate the human spirit. Their many acclaimed children’s books and adult books provide a creative, honest, wholesome, and inspirational representation of the beloved tales, history, achievements, life/ family experiences, and struggles of African American people. They live in Croton-on-Hudson.
• James Taylor is a retired principal of the Peekskill City School District. He is also a retired Captain with the New York Guard having served as commander and search and rescue specialist with the 56th Brigade stationed at the Peekskill Armory. Presently, Jim is a member of the African American Advisory Board for Historic Hudson Valley. Jim has been able to tell the story of slavery in the Colonial Hudson Valley by working as a part time historic interpreter portraying an enslaved cooper at Phillipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow, and traveling to area schools and events performing his “Bucket Full of History” program. In addition, he founded and supervises a boat building program for high school students sponsored by the City of Peekskill Youth Bureau, called Peekskill Boatworks. The participants have built several 14-foot boats. The program instills a sense of pride and self-worth, and it provides hands-on experiences that incorporates math, technology, environmental sciences, and ecology studies.