There are various events in Queens celebrating the emancipation of the last slaves in the country in 1865.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy We Celebrate Juneteenth Part 2: Freedom Day, A Play,\u201d written and directed by Carl Clay, the founder of Black Spectrum Theatre, will be held from Wednesday, June 17 to Friday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a second showing on Thursday, June 18, starting at 3 p.m., and with a last show on Saturday, June 20, starting at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n
People may get tickets to the reenactment, which will be held at History Park, within Roy Wilkins Park at 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard in St. Albans, by visiting blackspectrum.com<\/a>. To learn more, call (718) 723-1800.<\/p>\n A new segment to the Juneteenth reenactment will focus on the food slaves were forced to eat, said Clay.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople assume that because the slaves ate food and they worked in the field that it was just good for them,\u201d Clay told the Chronicle. Some of the foods included oxtail, pigs\u2019 feet and collard greens, which was often eaten with pork. \u201cThe thing is when you stop picking cotton and you\u2019re eating the same kind of food after a 17-hour workday … the body is just not built for it.\u201d<\/p>\n The play will include Major Gen. Gordon Granger reading the June 19, 1865, proclamation in Galveston, Texas, that led to the holiday of Juneteenth and the slaves reacting to learning they are free.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free,\u201d General Order No. 3 begins. \u201cThis involves an absolute equality of rights …\u201d<\/p>\n Work toward that remains ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see this as a yearly appreciation and understanding of what enslaved Africans went through and the process, by which they became free, which is actually two years later,\u201d Clay said.<\/p>\n The final Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, but slaves in Galveston didn\u2019t learn about their fate until that June day in 1865.<\/p>\n \u201cThe slave owners wanted to get more crops out of them,\u201d said Clay.<\/p>\n Due to anti-diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the federal government, History Park, which is an outdoor reenactment space for Black history plays, has lost funding from the U.S. Department of Education.<\/p>\n Clay is working on getting grants from the state to keep it around with the help of Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens) and Gov. Hochul\u2019s running mate, Adrienne Adams.<\/p>\n Before every reenactment, people will have the opportunity to visit a pavilion with period artifacts, said Clay.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a historical pavilion,\u201d he said. \u201cThat tent will be there for people to see and experience before the show starts. … A facilitator is in the pavilion to spend time with the kids to explain the time period involved with artifacts and information.\u201d<\/p>\n Another Juneteenth event is one that is part of Queens Theatre\u2019s \u201cB-Sides\u201d series, which features spoken word, music, theater and more. It is set for Friday, June 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. People may RSVP for the free event, to be held at 12 United Nations Ave. South in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, under the Events tab at queenstheatre.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning will hold a film screening of \u201cThe Inkwell\u201d for the holiday at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, on June 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. JPAC is located at 153-10 Jamaica Ave. People may get tickets via jcal.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Flushing Town Hall will host a Juneteenth Storytelling Celebration on June 19, starting at 7 p.m. Singer, actress and National Storytelling Network award winner April Armstrong will draw on African folk traditions, spirituals and oral storytelling forms that have carried Black history across generations. To RSVP, visit shorturl.at\/ZmY23. To learn more about FTH, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd., go to flushingtownhall.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n