Celebrate Juneteenth NY 2023
Each year Sun River Health celebrates Juneteenth – the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Upcoming Events 2023
Saturday, June 10th – 11:00 am Parade, 12:00 pm Festival
White Plains Parade & Festival
2nd Annual Peekskill Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony
Peekskill City Hall, 840 Main Street, Peekskill, NY
Friday, June 16th – 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Doors Open at 6:30 pm
Because of Juneteenth Celebration, Sun River Health
Paramount Theater, 1088 Brown St., Peekskill, NY
Saturday, June 17th – Parade Kick-Off 2:00 PM Festival: 1:30pm – 7:300pm
Peekskill Juneteenth Parade & Celebration
Saturday, June 17th – 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Juneteenth Freedom Festival
Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY
Sunday, June 18th – 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Juneteenth Festival
Prospect Park, New York, New York
Monday, June 19th – 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Juneteenth Celebration
Tanner Park, Kerrigan Road, Copiague, NY
Further reading & viewing
On Juneteenth, by Annette Gordon-Reed
Juneteenth: The History of a Holiday, NY Times
The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, National Museum of African American History & Culture
Senses of Freedom: The Taste, Sound, and Experience of an African American Celebration, National Museum of African American History & Culture
Learn and Celebrate Juneteenth, PBS
Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday. Here’s what it celebrates, National Geographic
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The first Juneteenth freedom celebration was the beginning of liberation. Freedom travelled slow to create that first Juneteenth Celebration in 1865. But a hundred years later, Black Americans were still fighting for our Civil Rights. And by the end of the 1960’s, we still did not have access to health care.
So in the early 1970s, four African American mothers formed our first health center in Peekskill, New York. Now Sun River Health is the largest community Health Center on the east coast, with over 40 health centers throughout the Hudson Valley, New York City, and Long Island.
We’re here because health care is a right for all, not a privilege for some. Because excellent health care is part of what liberation means.
We’re here because of Juneteenth.
The History of Juneteenth
- On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were now free
- This was two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which was made official on January 1, 1863
- Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General Grant in early April of 1865
- The Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the war had little impact on Texan slaves due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order
- General Lee’s surrender in April of 1865 and the arrival of General Granger's regiment meant that Union forces were finally strong enough to overcome Confederate resistance
- Former slaves in Galveston celebrated in the streets after the announcement of their freedom
- Over the following years, many former Texan slaves still struggled with poverty and racism, however they began an annual June celebration every dJune to commemorate their freedom.
- This holiday eventually became known as Juneteenth, which is now recognized as a state holiday in 45 states and the District of Columbia
