This is a press release from Bloomfield Township. Press releases are official statements that have not been independently verified.
The Township of Bloomfield is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration Event this Saturday, June 18th from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Glenwood Avenue between Washington St and Lackawanna Ave in Bloomfield. The celebration will spotlight black-owned businesses and there will be an inspiration service at 10:00 AM to kick off the event.
“This celebration will be a fantastic opportunity to honor the diversity of Bloomfield and to support our local black-owned businesses,” said Mayor Michael J. Venezia. “The pursuit of freedom and equality is ongoing, but it is important to celebrate freedom and the journey to fulfill America’s promise. I want to thank the groups and community leaders responsible for making this celebration possible.”
The Township of Bloomfield will be celebrating Juneteenth with history and family fun, including live entertainment, with hair stylists paying homage to the legendary Madam CJ Walker in The Giveback Hair Show, an African dance instruction, and two free vacation giveaways to the Dominican Republic & Mexico. There will be an array of kid-friendly activities including a bouncy house, jumbo-size games, face painting, storytelling from the Bloomfield Public Library, and free popcorn and snow cones for the first 100 children to arrive at the celebration. Free Parking will be available in the Conger St. Parking Lot and the Public Parking Lot above Food Town.
“I am proud of the work that we have done to bring our township together for this incredible event commemorating the Juneteenth holiday,” said Councilwoman Sarah Cruz. “Bloomfield is a diverse community with a significant black and brown population. I am looking forward to joining with the entire community to celebrate this important event in American History.”
Juneteenth celebrates the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday.
