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Juneteenth Celebration
June 18, 2022 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Free
Join Passaic County, Friends of Passaic County Parks, Inc. and C.R.E.W. Non-profit, in this community wide event celebrating our freedom, communities and rich diversity. The event will feature family-fun activities including arts & crafts, games, live music, food, vendors, and exhibitions.
For more information or to get involved call 973-706-6640.
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What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is a national celebration of the emancipation of the last enslaved people in the Confederacy. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and became effective on January 1, 1863, many slave owners in Texas withheld this information from their slaves.
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX to announce the end of slavery in the Confederacy. Despite this proclamation, slavery was not fully abolished until December 6, 1865, with the ratification of the thirteenth amendment. In 1866, formerly enslaved people celebrated their freedom on June 19 starting the tradition of Juneteenth. As of June 17, 2021, the federal government officially recognizes June 19th as Juneteenth, making it a federal holiday.