Juneteenth celebration returns to Greenport
The fourth annual Greenport Juneteenth celebration will take place on June 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to attend. The focus of this year’s celebration is youth, with the theme of “Having Their Say: What Freedom, Equality and Justice Means to Them.”
The celebration is organized through a partnership between Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church; the North Fork Chapter of Coming to the Table, a national organization dedicated to racial healing; and the Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force.
The event will open with words by the Rev. Natalie Wimberly, followed by the Juneteenth parade, which runs from the Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church to Mitchell Park. Once there, the celebration incorporates a dance featuring the Harambee Dance Company, Afro Brazilian drumming by Batalá, music by gospel group Jus B Cuz and other local musicians, and youth-led dance and spoken word poetry performances. They will also announce the winners of a North Fork school essay and art contest. The day culminates in the unveiling of the community quilt.
“Our big push this year is passing on the baton and involving children,” said Nicki Gohorel, a member of the Juneteenth Celebration Committee and the local chapter of Coming to the Table.
The Rev. Wimberly, pastor of Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church, echoed this theme.
“Their voices must be heard, their voices must be appreciated, and their voices need to be acknowledged. So I believe that young people need to be in the forefront. We need to make sure that they know they’re a part of this,” she said.
In some ways, the celebration has already started. The event’s youth ambassador, Faith Welch, is teaching classes at the local elementary schools about mentoring the next generation. Faith is a junior at Greenport High School, the current student council president, and the president of their African American studies club.
“I am going to all of the elementary art classes and having them make freedom flags,” said Faith. “So first I give them a lesson on what Juneteenth is, and then I’m having them make freedom flags that represent what Juneteenth means to them and what freedom and joy and happiness mean to them, but in art form.”
Another ongoing effort in the build-up to the celebration has been the construction of blocks for a community quilt. The work was inspired by the AIDS quilt of the 1980s, where people across the United States created blocks to memorialize loved ones lost to HIV. The final product will be on display at North Fork Arts Center. The center has also donated its lobby and gallery space to present the submissions from the North Fork Youth Juneteenth art and essay contest.
Ms. Gohorel noted that the last two meetings of Coming to the Table have been devoted to making squares for the quilt. She was impressed with how the activity helped build community.
“You just see people come out of their shell, and it’s so heartwarming to watch and have conversations that they wouldn’t normally be having. It’s a great way for the community to come together,” she said.
The quilt is symbolic for the Rev. Wimberly as well. She wants the community to see how the different panels assemble to make a cohesive whole, embodying the U.S. motto: “Out of many, one.”
“The hope is that people will read the pieces and see the creativity, the compassion that [is] incorporated in the quilt. Nothing is identical,” said the reverend. “There is difference, and difference is a gift from God. Different kinds of trees, different kinds of flowers. Diversity is what makes us — this country — be the best it can be.”
This is the first year that the event will feature community outreach booths from local organizations.
“We’re going to focus a lot on our local groups, like the Butterfly Effect [Project] will be featured. CAST will be featured. [It’s] just a chance for anyone who needs to just spread the word of the good work that they’re doing,” said Ms. Gohorel. “The League of Women Voters will be there for anyone feels that they need to register to vote.”
As previously reported, Juneteenth marks the day, on June 19, 1865, when the very last group of enslaved men, women and children in Texas were told they were no longer owned by their enslavers, also known as General Order No. 3. The original handwritten record of General Order No. 3 is preserved at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. Then-President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021.
