PHOTOS: Peekskill Celebrates Juneteenth Holiday
Hundreds of community members joined Peekskill and Westchester County political leaders and an HBO star Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth, a historically black holiday that commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation.
The festivities, in their second year, are the only Westchester Juneteenth celebration, and Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster said she was honored to have the city host the event.
“It’s wonderful to know that we are the parade in Westchester County, and we are really, really humbled,” said Foster, addressing a crowd of about 40 at the AME Zion Church on Park Street to kick off the day’s activities. “Peekskill has such a rich and diverse history with the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Foster said she’s glad the Juneteenth celebration is slowly but surely becoming a Peekskill tradition.
“We should have been doing this decades ago, and we’re really honored to be doing this now,” she said.
The Juneteenth parade’s two grand marshals were the Honorable Lois Bronz, a former Westchester County legislator, and Michael K. Williams, who starred as Omar on the critically acclaimed HBO drama “The Wire.”
The kickoff’s emcee, Michelle Gordon, called the pair “trailblazers.”
Williams said he’s proud of his work as an actor but that’s not what he wished to celebrate on Juneteenth.
“Although I’m known for the work I do on television, I’m also proud of what I do personally,” he said. “I’m not here as an entertainer, I’m not here as a TV star, I’m here because I value our history.”
Among the politicians present were State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins, Westchester Board of Legislators Chairman Ken Jenkins and county legislators John Testa and Catherine Borgia.
Borgia, new to representing Ossining and Peekskill, said she values Bronz, the other marshal, as a symbol and source of inspiration who transcends solely the black community.
“Lois is a role model for all of us — women in government, anyone who’s a public servant,” she said. “She shows us the way, and we thank her for that, and we love her for that.”
The day also included Underground Railroad tours and a fair by the Peekskill riverfront, in addition to a parade that featured both grand marshals, several church groups, a handful of youth performers like dancers and a drum corps and representatives of several historically black fraternities and sororities.
At the kickoff event, a singer also performed the Negro National Anthem, and Foster, Testa, Borgia and the entire corps of dignitaries sang along.
Pastor L.A. Thompson of the AME Zion Church said Harriet Tubman’s legacy was important to remember as Peekskill honors Juneteenth.
“I need you to understand that it was not for her, but for her people,” he said. “Remember Harriet Tubman said, ‘Freedom … you have to pay the price,’ and the price is that you help people less fortunate than you.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
