Looking ahead to 33rd Annual Harlem Juneteenth Celebration
The 33rd annual Juneteenth celebration will be on Saturday, June 20. The post Looking ahead to 33rd Annual Harlem Juneteenth Celebration appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
Black News 
While there will be several Juneteenth celebrations across the city, the oldest and longest-running will once again take place in Harlem. The 33rd annual Juneteenth celebration will be on Saturday, June 20. Each year, the celebration encompasses the parade through Central Harlem, a street fair, and a ceremony honoring community members.
This year’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. at 116th and Malcolm X Blvd./Lenox Ave., then proceed across town to Frederick Douglass Blvd. and uptown to 125th Street, before going east and back down.
The street fair will also begin at 11 a.m. and continue through 6 p.m., at 116th between Lenox and 5th Avenue. Each year, the fair supports Black business vendors, offers health and financial resources for the community, and provides educational and recreational activities for youth. Organizers expect 30 or 35 vendors, featuring prostate screenings for men and mammogram screenings for women. There will also be bouncy houses and free book giveaways for children and teens, along with food for sale.
After the parade will be a festival ceremony honoring Black figures in several sectors, including business owners and entertainers, as well as performances. This year’s grand marshals to be honored include financial educator Ash Cash Exantus, music video pioneer Ralph McDaniels, community organizer and WHCR host Reggie Mitchell, barbershop owner Polo Green, and CEO Dr. Princess Jenkins.
Performers include Bronx Gems, Kipp Infinity Elementary Dance Team, and the Hip Hop Worship Group from Texas, as well as singers Ab Syte, Noelle Kay, Genny Gen, Flow Boy Duce, and 12-year-old poet Kayden Hern.
Last year’s Juneteenth Committee members and grand marshals (L-R): Juneteenth Committee member Daleel Jabir Muhammad; actor Ralph Carter; educator Ganeen Dean; AmNews Managing Editor Kristin Fayne-Mulroy; environmental justice advocate Peggy Shepard; social justice advocate Dr. Leroy Gadsden; Juneteenth Committee member Sandra McPhee Hunter; community leader Brother Charles Asukile Mitchell; spiritual leader Leman Jake McGhee. Not pictured: MC Rodney C; baker and Lee Lee’s Baked Goods proprietor Alvin Lee Smalls. (Bill Moore photo) 
Float from previous Masjid Malcolm Shabazz’s annual Juneteenth parade. (Bill Moore photo)
Sponsors and participants include Sen. Cordelle Cleare, who noted that the mosque was at the forefront of celebrating the holiday before it became popular.
“Not only did they celebrate [Juneteenth], but they called for a holiday all those years — the one voice that was out there all those years,” Cleare said in remarks during last year’s celebration.
Among the other 40-plus sponsors of the celebration are Assemblymember Al Taylor; State Senator Robert Jackson; and community organizations such as Street Corner Resources, Ruff Ryders Lifestyles, the Cobras Marching Band, the Harlem Swing Dance Society, Harlem Health Advocacy Partners, and more.
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of emancipated African Americans from slavery. Its early roots are in Galveston, Texas. It was officially recognized as a New York State holiday in 2021 and federally recognized by President Joe Biden that same year.
For more information, visit JuneteenthCelebrationNYC.org.
The post Looking ahead to 33rd Annual Harlem Juneteenth Celebration appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
