6-20-2022 9:52pm

Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum Celebrated Juneteenth This Weekend

Donnella Tilery Editor

On Saturday, June 18, 2022, SSAAM welcomed the community back to Mt. Zion AME Church and the historic True Farmstead for a Juneteenth celebration of freedom, in the first in-person event since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Long celebrated in the African American community, Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. The holiday was first celebrated on June 19, 1865, following the arrival of Union troops into Galveston, Texas, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in the state two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

SSAAM's Juneteenth event was a day of music, food, art, and joy, with performances and activities including:

Keynote by Dr. Rosetta Treece, Superintendent of the Hopewell Valley School District
Music from the Jonathan Ware Quartet, vocalist Gia Ware, and the Allegra School of Music and Arts Youth Singers
Quilt-Making workshop with Ronah Harris
"Black Artists: Elevating the Community" by Rhinold Porter
Mt. Zion Renovation Tour by Bruce Daniels
Poetry performances by Olivia Altidor, Ssanyu Lukoma, and Jonathan Ware
"Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom" by Dr. Isabela Morales
"A Trip to Benin - African Influence on American Culture" by Isabella Ruiter
"To Be Free," an original Juneteenth play written by Ryan Kilpatrick and performed by the Allegra School of Music and Arts
Food from Trenton BBQ restaurant "The Big Easy"