By Donald Gilpin
In celebration of the Juneteenth holiday, a flag raising will take place next Thursday, June 19 at 1 p.m. in Princeton’s Monument Plaza in front of Monument Hall, and a variety of other events commemorating the occasion will be occurring in Princeton and the surrounding area next week.
“Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the ending of slavery in this country,” Princeton Mayor Mark Freda wrote in an email. “We should embrace such an important milestone. What an inhuman and unjust practice that existed in this country, and in this town. Always better to acknowledge the wrongs of the past so they are not repeated again in the future.”
Questioning the extent of that liberation and whether the current situation gives cause for celebration, Councilman Leighton Newlin, who will be speaking at the flag raising, shared a draft of remarks that he will be delivering.
“We are gathered here today to raise a flag, but we are also here to raise our consciousness, to raise our history, and to raise a question: Are we free … or are we fooled?” Newlin’s draft asks.
It goes on, “But if you look around at what’s happening in this country today — attacks on anyone different, disregard for the rule of law, National Guard on our streets, ‘a big, beautiful bill’ in Congress more focused on exclusion than inclusion — you have to wonder: what exactly are we celebrating?”
The draft concludes in asserting that Juneteenth is more than just history. “It’s a declaration,” Newlin states. “And today we declare: We will not go back. We will build forward. And we will do it — together.”
The story of the origin of Juneteenth begins on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas, where the last group of people enslaved in the South were informed of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln more than two years earlier on January 1, 1863.
Texas continued to be controlled by the Confederacy after the end of the war in April 1865, and news of the Emancipation and the union victory did not arrive in Galveston until June of that year.
Many African Americans have celebrated Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day and America’s second independence day, with parties, picnics, parades, gatherings, and speeches for more than a century, but it was not officially recognized as a national holiday until 2021.
The Princeton Festival in partnership with the Municipality of Princeton will be leading the festivities following the flag raising on June 19 with a 4 p.m. talk by Princeton University Lecturer Rochelle Ellis on “The Motown Sound;” a Community Celebration, from 5 to 7 p.m. with history, crafts, and education; followed at 7 p.m. by the “Masters of Soul, A Motown Revue” concert, all taking place at Morven Museum & Garden.
The Community Celebration is a collaboration of community partners, including Art Against Racism, the Historical Society of Princeton, the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, Morven Museum & Garden, the Municipality of Princeton, Princeton Parents for Black Children, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and YWCA Princeton.
Ellis’ presentation and the community celebration are free to the public. Tickets for the evening “Masters of Soul” concert start at $35 and are available at princetonsymphony.org/festival or by calling (609) 497-0020.
On Saturday, June 21, from noon to 4 p.m. the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) will be holding its fourth annual Juneteenth celebration, “Stories of Freedom,” at the historic Mt. Zion AME Church and Reasoner/True House in Skillman.
Event highlights will include live performances by SSAM Heritage Singers and Band, baritone singer and storyteller Keith Spencer presenting freedom narratives through music and spoken word, the Luna Stage presenting The Ground On Which We Stand, and Mr. Boom Boom’s Drum Circle.
Also featured will be “The Head That Wears the Crown,” an exhibition of African American women’s headwear; guided tours of the historic church and heritage garden; a local artisan marketplace; a story booth; spoken word and read-aloud; museum scavenger hunts; and a small free library of banned books.
The Princeton University Art Museum is the lead sponsor of the SSAAM Juneteenth event. Tickets, $20 online and $25 for adults and $10 online and $15 at the door for children, and more information are available at ssaamuseum.org/juneteenth-2025.
The African American Cultural Collaborative (AAC) of Mercer County will be getting a head start on the holiday with its 5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration this Saturday, June 14 from 12 to 8 p.m. at the Mercer County Park Festival Grounds. In partnership with NJ Legislative District 15 and Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, the AAC event will be hosted by Taylor Stokes and will feature a wide range of vendors and foods, crafts, cultural products, and more. Visit taacf.com or call (609) 474-4073 for more information.
Starting early on the morning of June 14, also at Mercer County Park, will be the fifth Annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Ride for bicyclists, with on-site registration starting at 7 a.m. Visit juneteenthridenj.com for further information and advance registration.
On June 15 from 4 to 5 p.m., outdoors in the Capital Health parking lot at 300 Witherspoon Street, the Stretto Youth Chamber Orchestra will present a free Juneteenth concert.