August 16, 2020 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
LOCAL
CL ASSIFIEDS
PA GE 7
JAMAICA COUNCILMAN HOSTS WEEKLONG
CELEBRATION OF BLACK LIVES & CULTURE
BY JACOB KAYE
Following the painting of a Black Lives
Matter mural along Jamaica Avenue and a
street naming ceremony last week, Councilman
I. Daneek Miller launched a weeklong
celebration of Black lives and the
Jamaica community from Aug. 2 through
Aug. 7.
The celebration included performances
from a gospel choir, activities for families
and young people and a block party.
“Standing on the shoulders of those who
have come before us, we’ve fought for both
social and economic justice and the respect
and dignity of black lives. The Black Lives
Matter mural will serve as a visual representation
of all we have done and what
we still have yet to do as a community,
and we are grateful for the opportunity
to bring this to Downtown Jamaica, a vibrant
hub of arts and culture in Southeast
Queens,” Miller said. “The week’s events
seek to highlight the richness of Southeast
Queens, while also serving as an opportunity
to gather and do the critical work of
discussing how we can collectively better
our community.
On Sunday, the weeklong celebration
kicked off with Gospel Day, which featured
prayer, live music, dance and vocal performances.
On Monday, dubbed Youth Day,
families and children enjoyed activities
and were given information on educational
enrichment activities.
On Tuesday, physical and mental health
Photo by Dean Moses
experts came out to educate the community.
COVID-19 tests were available, as well as
a Planned Parenthood mobile van. A Block
Party for Peace was held on the street on
Wednesday.
Thursday was Community Day, hosted
by Dr. Bob Lee of WBLS. Friday, Aug. 7, was
for the youth, featuring live performances
from young musicians and a youth rally.
On all six days of celebration, a Census
2020 representative was available to encourage
people to fill out the census.
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