Westfield Juneteenth Celebration Will Include Bus Tour, Live Music

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield will examine 300 years of Black history in the town as part of its Juneteenth celebration.

The MLK Association of Westfield will host the Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 18. Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on June 19, 1985, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.

Westfield's celebration will kick off with an African American History Bus Tour, beginning at 9:30 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. The 90-tour will include live narration and visit sites that anchor the 300 years of African American history in Westfield.

Stops on the tour will include the Burial Grounds of the Presbyterian Church, Fairview Cemetery, Westfield’s Black Professional Zone, Brightwood Park and the homes of Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and Paul Robeson.

While living in Westfield in the early 1930s, writers Hurston and Hughes collaborated on a play that did not get produced for another 60 years, according to the Westfield Record. The two fought over the the play and it ended up ruining their close friendship.

The bus tour, which will run rain or shine, begins at the Lord & Taylor Parking Lot East. Seats on the tour are limited and registration is required with a $10 fee.

Proceeds will be used to further the MLK Association’s work, specifically its African American History Project.

Following the bus tour, the Juneteenth Celebration will continue from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Westfield Community Center, located on 558 West Broad Street, where there will be live music and refreshments.

For additional information, visit the MLK Association’s website.