Harlem residents celebrate first federal Juneteenth holiday
BY MARK HALLUM
The city’s fi rst offi cial celebration
of Juneteenth as a federal holiday
brought several hundred people to
Harlem’s James Baldwin Lawn at St. Nicholas
Park on June 18, as they and city leaders
commemorated the occasion while vowing
to continue the march toward equality in
America.
Mayor Bill de Blasio hosted the celebration
that saw a number of speakers including
City First Lady Chirlane McCray, Street
Corner Resources founder Iesha Sekou, as
well as actress Naturi Naughton, who had
her own holiday named after her through
mayoral proclamation.
The festivities occurred a day after President
Joe Biden signed legislation swiftly
passed this week in Congress making
Juneteenth the 11th offi cial federal holiday.
Juneteenth offi cially falls on June 19, the
date in which, in 1865, the last slaves in
Texas learned of their emancipation.
“The James Baldwin lawn is a perfect
place to talk about the power of Juneteenth.
Because James Baldwin his voice rang out
asking us not to look away from painful
truths. He identifi ed them for us so we
could do something about it, we could act
on them, we did not have to accept them.
And in that spirit today, we talk about
Harlem residents celebrated Juneteeth as a national holiday in the center of
James Baldwin Lawn on June 18, 2021.
change. Juneteenth is not just a wistful
memory, Juneteenth is not just an excuse
for a barbecue or a civic gathering. Juneteenth
is a moment to recommit ourselves
to change to action, to not accept the status
quo that we all know is still broken,” de
Blasio said.
While Juneteenth is about celebrating
PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM
the end of slavery in the United States,
Sekou had a slightly more contemporary
message for those in attendance more in
line with what her organization does in
the community to reduce incidences of
gun violence.
“Slavery took a toll on us and a lot
of what we see is the residual effects of
slavery. The residual effects of slavery. And
so we have to have that notated some way,”
Sekou said.
Mayor de Blasio issued a proclamation
for Naughton that made June 18 a day in
recognition of the New Jersey-born actor’s
career not only as an R&B singer but also
in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical
Hairspray.
“I am a living example of my ancestors’
wildest dreams. I am an example of hope,
endurance, inspiration, a girl who rarely
takes no for an answer,” Naughton said.
“It’s a chance to feel seen, my little girl
who’s almost four years old, will now recognize
that her history is America’s history,
and she will be seen and celebrated as a
little black girl and that means so much to
me, but today we’ve written a new future.”
Schumer spoke to the political atmosphere
in Washington in his remarks which
took aim at Republican Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell.
“They tried, some of those nasty Republicans,
to not let the bill making Juneteenth
a national holiday go through, but I made
sure it did. It is now law and we will remember
the long-lasting scar of slavery and
racism and we will fi ght it every day,” said
Schumer, who brought the legislation to
the fl oor of the Senate earlier in the week,
where it passed with unanimous consent.
Harlem happenings: Blaz breaks ground on center, renames school
BY DEAN MOSES
Mayor Bill de Blasio had a busy
day in Harlem on Thursday last
week, where he took a victory
lap following the announcement of the
Universal NYC Baby Bonds.
On June 17, beginning on West 125th
Street and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Boulevard, the mayor joined in the
groundbreaking of the Urban League Empowerment
Center. This site will provide a
400,000-square foot space that will serve
as both the headquarters for the National
Urban League and include the Museum of
the Urban Rights Experience, showcasing
the fi ght for equality.
“We all know that it’s more than just an
offi ce building. The new, nearly quarter of
a million-dollar Urban League Empowerment
Center will house New York State’s
fi rst museum dedicated to civil rights,
affordable housing, cultural space, and
provide job opportunities for the Harlem
community,” said Marc H. Morial the
President and CEO of the National Urban
League.
Posing with golden shovels, de Blasio
wasted little time in commenting on the
The mayor poses with a golden shovel at the groundbreaking of the Urban
League Empowerment Center.
freshly announced NYC Juneteenth Economic
Justice Plan, which includes Universal
NYC Baby Bonds that directly looks to
confront the racial and generational wealth
gap by expanding savings plans to every
single public school kindergarten student
during the next school year.
This initiative will both open accounts
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
and put a minimum of $100 into every
account.
“The idea of savings accounts to promote
the opportunity for young people
to eventually go to college and to inspire
their families. The idea of baby bonds as
a way of making a profound and early and
ongoing investment has been talked about a
lot. New York City has decided it is time to
make this a reality. Starting in September
every kindergarten student in New York
City will get a baby bond account started
for them,” de Blasio said to a round of
applause.
After commemorating the groundbreaking
for the National Urban League, de Blasio
joined the offi cial renaming of Hamilton
Heights School PS 368 on 1750 Amsterdam
Avenue alongside fi rst lady Chirlane
McCray, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter,
Rev. Al Sharpton, and others after former
Deputy Mayor William Lynch Jr.
Speakers described Lynch’s spirit and
his grass roots dedication to making
change. Lynch’s character was said to be
inspirational, brilliant, and a teacher who
helped mentor so many. Mayor de Blasio
credited Lynch for his wisdom and foresight,
stating that the former deputy mayor
was someone who saw New York City for
its greatness and the power of people to
make change.
“But Bill understood, even at that early
moment in the story, that he was creating
generations and generations of leaders
ahead, and that takes a vision that few of
us are blessed with,” de Blasio said.
4 June 24, 2021 Schneps Media