'Juneteenth In The Park' Slated For East Hampton Soon

EAST HAMPTON, NY — Described as a day of family fun filled with "love for all people", with a focus on the fundamental principles and true meaning of the day, the "Juneteenth in the Park" celebration takes place on June 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m in Herrick Park in East Hampton Village.

The Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration Committee, in partnership with Calvary Baptist Church, Acre Shoe Community Development and an array of community members, has put together an array of activities for the kids, musical artists providing entertainment, and vendors for shoppers to peruse.

In 2020, on June 19, the day that the enslaved were emancipated in 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 — then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared that state employees could take the day as a holiday. He also signed an executive order Tuesday stating that beginning in 2021, Juneteenth would be an official state holiday.

According to Juneteenth.com, Juneteenth is the "oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States."

In 1865, it was on June 19 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, TX "with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free."
The Emancipation Proclamation, the post added, had, before that date, not been recognized by residents of Texas due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce Lincoln's mandate.