In Newark, the holiday was marked at two different events
Juneteenth was marked at Harriet Tubman Square in Newark Monday with a celebration full of music and dance. Organizers said having the event there paid tribute to a woman who helped free so many Americans.
Marcy DePina, executive director of Newark City Parks Foundation, said, “…I see it as an opportunity to educate people, (an) opportunity for us to come together as a community. And for people to truly understand what systematic racism looks like in this country. And how we are rising together.”
At a rally nearby, members of the People’s Organization for Progress marked Juneteenth with calls for reparations for Black Americans. “This is the day we feel is most appropriate to raise the issue of reparations, that the descendants of those who were slaves should be compensated for the stolen labor of our ancestors during the period of enslavement,” said Larry Hamm, chairman of the People’s Organization for Progress.
Legislation is pending in New Jersey and at the federal level to create a task force to help determine what form reparations should take, but those efforts have stalled.
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