Virtual 2-Day Juneteenth Celebration Unfolds In Riverhead

RIVERHEAD, NY — A virtual Juneteenth event will be held this weekend to mark the day when the enslaved were emancipated in Galveston, TX.

The African American Educational & Cultural Festival, Inc. will present the "Juneteenth Virtual Benefit" on June 19 and June 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event aims to "celebrate, commemorate, and educate."

A full slate of performers is scheduled including an Earth, Wind & Fire Tribute Band, Leon & The Peoples, reggae artist Winston Irie, comedians, and Hip Hop Harry for the kids. The linup will also include poetry, dance, Black films, social justice, legal, and health and wellness programs; a "Gospel Experience" hosted by recording artist and pastor Bettina Pennon; singer, songwriter and pastor Melvin Robinson; recording artist DeuBoyce Robinson; minister Ted Turpin and many more.

Registration is required for the event. To register, click here. To donate to the AAECF, click here.

Juneteenth holds deep meaning, Marylin Winter, event co-chair, reflected: "Over a year ago, our world shut down at the hands of a global pandemic — followed by major fights for equality and equity. We are here now, at this moment, to celebrate our ‘coming out’ of this disparity and to educate you about issues from healthy living to historical facts, and to commemorate Juneteenth — June 19, 1865 in Galveston, TX, where our ancestors were finally freed!"

She added: "We have partnered with all of these fine folks to bring to you an amazing virtual festival, celebrating, commemorating and educating about Juneteenth, health and wellness, social justice and all things surrounding the life of the African American from the youth to the elderly that have endured in this turbulent, transformative year. We applaud you and remember those we have lost."

At a Juneteenth event in Southampton last year, Lawrence Street of the NAACP's eastern Long Island branch, spoke about the day's rich history: "This is our Fourth of July — 155 years after, this is our day of freedom."

On June 19, 2020, as the nation celebrated Juneteenth — the day that the enslaved were emancipated in 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared that state employees could take the day as holiday. He also signed an executive order stating that beginning in 2021, Juneteenth will 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."

Winter said the AAECF wanted to thank all participants, AAECF members, friends, ticket purchasers, and viewers.

Dr. James Banks said the African American Educational and Cultural Festival inc. and he, as co-chair and vice president, "are proud of the commitment these community members make in service to our people. Years of bringing people together to get away from typical silos and territorialism that tend to plague communities and keep us separate. It is an organization that is for us, by us," he said. "We serve our people from the cradle to the grave and Juneteenth awareness does exactly that. Join us this year for a plethora of jubilee-oriented celebratory fun."