LAKEHURST – Singing, a praise dance, dramatic readings, African American cuisine, poems and a sharing of history was all part of a Juneteenth observance hosted by the Manchester Democratic Club at the Presbyterian Church of Lakehurst.
The event opened with a warm welcome by Christina Edwards, who reviewed the history of Juneteenth. She set the scene on “June 19, 1865 in Galveston Texas, a Confederate state and there is no Union Army presence. We are years after the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment has already been passed.”
The event received its name from combining June and nineteenth and is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people two and a half years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation “which the slaves were not made aware of – or the war that the Confederate states had lost.”
“Federal troops rolled in on this day in 1865 and told the slaves about their freedom. This Juneteenth we have another national holiday,” she added.
Jordan Morris, 11, of Toms River provides a stirring rendition of Frederick Douglass’ Fourth of July address during a Juneteenth observance held inside the Presbyterian Church of Lakehurst. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
On this holiday, those present were invited to sing along to the Negro National Anthem. “This song was composed by an activist and NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and was first sung to commemorate President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday,” Edwards said.
The anthem is a hymn written as a poem. Edwards noted that “it was sung at the Super Bowl this year. It is very important to African Americans”
A’Liah Moore of Monmouth University talked about “what does it mean to be free? For some it means living your life in a way that brings you joy. For others it means freedom from oppression. It goes past physical freedom. It applies to our mental, emotional and spiritual liberation. Freedom is your being in control with your life.”
“Juneteenth is a symbol of freedom for all to be free. Free to breathe, free to love, free to exist, free to express, free to laugh, free to live, free to be,” she added. She also provided an example of her writing: “You are not seeing me, you are viewing me. You have looked and have already decided what you think of me but you don’t even know me and yet you say you know my kind.”
Jordon Morris, an 11-year-old from Toms River, presented a stirring presentation of Frederick Douglass’ 4th of July address without skipping a beat. He received a standing ovation from the audience and a hug from Mike Rush, a past president of the Lakewood chapter of the NAACP. “You brought tears to my eyes,” Rush said of the boy’s moving performance.
Walter Preston spoke about the Black Five that refers to the all-Black basketball teams that existed in the United States between 1904, when the game was first introduced to African Americans on a wide-scale organized basis, and 1950, when the National Basketball Association signed its first Black players. The period is known as the “Black Fives Era” or “Early Black Basketball” or simply “Black Basketball.”
Christina McMurray performs a praise dance during a Juneteenth celebration. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Preston brought along some artifacts such as Black Five attire including shirts worn by players and others worn by referees.
“We could talk all day about the Black Five. I was a basketball player myself believe it or not. Basketball actually began in Ireland. It was played quite a bit in the Jewish community. I ended up becoming a basketball official and the Basketball Black Five began because they were not allowed to play on the other white teams,” Preston said.
He added, “many teams such as the Globetrotters came out of Harlem. One of the things that happened when Blacks began playing basketball in large numbers and consistently, it became a community activity. I was fortunate enough as a 13-year-old kid to be at one of the best games that the Harlem Renaissance played.”
“It was a social event. They actually played in the Harlem Renaissance Ball room. They had a basketball game in a hall and in places this size and after the game, bands like Count Basie came out and performed. The Black Five, the championship team was from a little place, Orange, New Jersey which is 2.6 square miles,” Preston added.
African-American cuisine was served at the conclusion of the Manchester Democrat’s first Juneteenth program held at the Presbyterian Church of Lakehurst. (Photo by Bob Vosseller)
Bahiyyah Abdullah of the Toms River/Ocean NAACP, said, “not all slaves were freed in 1863 but two years later Major General Granger brought more than 2,000 soldiers when he made that announcement and he brought with him the colored soldiers that were serving our country at that time. It took them two years to get that announcement.”
Manchester Mayor Robert Arace, a Republican, also came out to the event and spoke about the historical event that crosses political party lines. He said, “the announcement in Galveston Texas was a unifying factor that we all need to celebrate regardless of political parties, regardless of our background. The words of our constitution are that we are all created equal.”
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