Stoutsburg Sourland
African American Museum

What is Juneteenth?

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Juneteenth is a federal holiday commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  It was on June 19th, 1865,  when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

 

The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM), Central New Jersey’s only African American history museum sharing the history of Black Americans since the trans-Atlantic Slave trade, will hold its second annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, from 12 PM to 4 PM (rain or shine). 

 

Our Juneteenth celebration, “Freedom Forward,” is a family-friendly event that aims to educate, celebrate, and promote unity and cohesion within our culturally diverse community. The event will feature music by the Jon Ware Quintet featuring Gina Ware, a youth rock band from the Allegra School of Music and Arts, opera singer, Dr. Sonya Headlam, an original play written by Ryan Kilpatrick and performed by youth actors from the Allegra School of Music and Arts, original poetry by Olivia Altidor, a youth poet from Hillsborough High School, a stone mosaic workshop from Emmy award-winning educator and artist, Dr. Ronah Harris and a family tree heritage workshop led by the Morven Museum. The event will feature classic African American barbecue from The Big Easy of Trenton and vegan food options from Mukolee Food Truck. The day will also feature activities in our Heritage Garden and tours of the grounds. This family-friendly event will have fun games and activities for all to enjoy. 

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The event will take place at SSAAM, a National Historic-Registered Mt Zion AME church in Skillman and the adjacent True Farmstead, a historically African American-owned farmstead.

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For more information on how to sponsor SSAAM’s Juneteenth “Freedom Forward,” volunteer, purchase a vendor table, and tickets, please click the links below.