OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BOROUGH OF KINGS
COURIER LIFE, JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2021 43
BY BEN VERDE
Brooklynites marked Juneteenth
across the borough on Saturday, coming
together at numerous celebrations
for the fi rst year the occasion was offi -
cially made a federal holiday.
At Flatbush Junction, local leaders
gathered to unveil a statue of George
Floyd, whose killing by a Minnesota
police offi cer last summer spurred
thousands of Americans take to the
streets in response to the police killings
of unarmed Black people — and
caused national legislators to mark the
holiday representing the emancipation
of enslaved African Americans.
“This Juneteenth arrives at a moment
of sweeping generational change
in America,” said Flatbush Councilmember
Farah Louis at the unveiling.
“And who represents this moment
of change better than George Floyd?”
The statue, by artist Chris Carnabuci,
will remain at Flatbush Junction
for two weeks before it is transported
to Union Square in Manhattan.
Celebrations unfolded across the
borough, including outside the Brooklyn
Public Library’s main branch,
where Floyd’s brother Terrance joined
offi cials in marking the holiday.
“Now we celebrate Juneteenth, we
need to focus on that freedom, that
strength that we have. We need to focus
on it so we know that we’re free,
we understand that we’re free, and do
what we’ve got to do for our culture,”
he said. “Open your mouth, say what
you need to say, don’t be afraid.”
Other local leaders applauded the
making of Juneteenth as a federal holiday,
and said that the recognition calls
for celebration, and of acknowledgment
of the work still to be done.
“We need to let the rest of America
know what it took to get to this point,”
said Flatbush Assemblymember Rodneyese
Bichotte. “If we are strong
enough to build this nation, we are
strong enough to keep going. We’ve
gone this far, let’s see how much further
we can go.”
Other celebrations included a bike
ride led by Good Company Bike Club
that touched upon several landmarks
and sites relevant to Brooklyn’s Black
history, and a concert held by Brooklyn
Conservatory of Music in Park Slope.
Honoring freedom
Brooklynites mark new federal holiday Juneteenth
(Clockwise from top left) The Brooklyn
United Drum Line perform during a Juneteenth
celebration outside Brooklyn Public
Library. Local community members, elected
offi cials, artists and performers raise their
fi sts. BKCM’s Juneteeth celebration.
Photos by Paul Frangipane, Rathkopf Photography