#InTheLoop | Juneteenth Celebrations Abound In Queens
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Only two years after becoming a federal holiday, Juneteenth has inspired events all over Queens in 2023. Concerts, storytelling, poetry, and drum circles are only a few of the planned activities in the borough.
A basic guide follows.
June 17
Louis Armstrong House Museum hosts an outdoor Juneteenth Concert at 2 pm. Charles Turner and Uptown Swing perform at the national landmark at 34-56 107th St. in Corona.
Maple Grove Cemetery presents a Juneteenth Storytelling Performance at 4 pm. African Folk Heritage Circle members Thelma Ruffin Thomas and Lynette Braxton spin yarns with drummer Atiba Wilson. A reception follows in the graveyard’s center, where a photo exhibition on birds of Northern Tanzania is on display. Enter via the gate at Kew Gardens Road and 129th Street.
Lewis Latimer House Museum kicks off a Juneteenth Celebration at 1:30 pm. This joyous event includes poetry, digital storytelling, tribal body paint, Reiki, and a drum circle at 34-41 137th St. in Flushing. Lewis Latimer (1848–1928) worked with Alexander Graham Bell on the telephone and Thomas A. Edison on the light bulb. The African American was also a self-taught master draftsman, patent law expert, poet, painter, and co-founder of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens. (Not to brag, but he played a few musical instruments, too.)
The Museum of the Moving Image spearheads three days of performances, screenings, and media-making from June 17 to June 19. Head to 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District to watch The Wiz, followed by a gallery talk; dancing with LIFE Camp and Asase Yaa Dance & Drum Foundation; DJ Crazy Ron’s beats and rhythms; and a gallery talk with Renée Brailsford, who will discuss her experience as a dancer in The Wiz among artifacts from MoMI’s Behind the Screen exhibition.
Queens Public Library is closed on June 19, but it’s running two programs on June 17. Local author Philip Ross discusses the history of the baseball’s Negro Leagues at Forest Hills Library, 108-19 71st St., at 2:30 pm. He’ll draw on his research and interviews with dozens of former players. At the same time, the Brooklyn United Marching Band performs at Queens Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica. Expect vibrant horns, rhythmic drums, choreographed dance, and twirling flags. Then, York College Adjunct Black Studies Professor Andrew “Sekou Molefi Baako” Jackson, a QPL Board Member, offers his reflections on the holiday.
June 18
Flushing Town Hall, which is located at 137-35 Northern Blvd., offers homage to Earth, Wind & Fire at 2 pm. Ten vocalists and musicians from Shining Star Tribute NY play “Boogie Wonderland,” “September,” “Shining Star,” and other hits by the famous, four-decade band.
June 19
In Our Words unfolds at Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., at 7 pm. Five spoken word artists grab the mic and express their thoughts on Juneteenth. Then, the public can get into the act during an open mic session.
Queens Historical Society’s Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration starts with a screening of the documentary 13th with guest speeches and a meal. It’s set for 2 pm at QHS’s headquarters, Kingsland Homestead at 143-35 37th Ave. in Flushing.
Head to Roy Wilkins Park for Juneteenth In Queens at noon. This community event features Black creativity, business, love, wealth, networking, opportunity, excellence, and joy. The park’s entrance is in the vicinity of Merrick Boulevard and 119th Street in St. Albans.
Starting at 4 pm, vendors will peddle farm-fresh produce amid drumming, fashion, dance, food trucks, handmade crafts, and a kid’s corner during Juneteenth Night Market at the Laurelton LIRR Station at 225th Street and 141st Road.
June 20
Hue Williams, a food historian with a special interest in African Diaspora cuisines, leads a presentation on food traditions connected to Juneteenth at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217th St., at 4 pm. Participants share stories about their special dishes and receive a recipe card.
The Holiday
The oldest annual emancipation celebration, Juneteenth originates from Union General Gordon Granger’s order to grant freedom to slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. (The name combines the words “June” and “nineteenth.”) President Abraham Lincoln had issued the nationwide Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, but slave owners in Texas hid this news until General Granger’s proclamation.
Images: Juneteenth In Queens