Town Of Rye Juneteenth Commemoration And Day Of Service Challenges

TOWN OF RYE, NY — The Town of Rye, which is home to one of the area's most important Black History sites, the Rye African-American Cemetery, will once again be holding its annual event of service and spoken word at the cemetery, on Saturday.

From the Town of Rye.

On Saturday June 22, 2024 at 10 a.m., the Town of Rye will be honoring Juneteenth with a commemoration followed by a day of service beautifying the African American cemetery.

This year’s Juneteenth commemoration will begin with oral histories of some of the remarkable people buried at the African American cemetery presented by high school students from Rye, Rye Neck and Blind Brook high schools.

The ceremony, for which Joseph Holland will be the keynote, is an occasion to pay homage to the experiences of local Black emigrants and citizens over the course of the past two centuries.

Holland's most recent book, Make Your Own History, unleashes the mystery of the African American trailblazers who have paved the way through the pages of time. He is an author, attorney, speaker entrepreneur, ordained minister, and an acclaimed community servant. Holland earned a B.A. and M.A. from Cornell University, was an All-American football player, and holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

THE SERVICE PROJECT:

The ceremony will be followed by the service project, led by Feng volunteers who will be treating the headstones with preservation techniques to clean off the lichen and dirt.

WHEN:

Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 10 a.m. (rain date June 23rd)

WHERE:

AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY
215 North Street, Town of Rye, NY
(in the Greenwood Union Cemetery)

It is highly recommended that participants wear outdoor work gloves and bring any of the following items with them to help with cleanup work: rakes, shovels, outdoor broom, outdoor working gloves, etc.

For more information and to register, please visit:
Event Page
Web Page
Registration

About the African American Cemetery:

Located right here, in the heart of the Rye community, the cemetery is a pre-Civil War era treasure. Officially established in 1860, the African American Cemetery was used long before that as a burying ground. Today, the cemetery is an important waypoint on the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This landmark should be a source of deep pride for all people across our community.

For more information about the Juneteenth community service project, please visit the Town of Rye website or follow our Facebook and Instagram pages.