Juneteenth's first official celebration in Ulster will be on Monday, and to note the occasion, about three dozen gathered at Midtown Kingston's Restorative Justice and Community Empowerment Center Friday.

“On June 20th, we will officially observe Juneteenth for the first time in Ulster County. This is a historic moment and one that is frankly overdue,” said Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, who made introductions and opening remarks. “The last federal holiday to be added in America was MLK Day in 1986, and it was not celebrated by all 50 states until the year 2000. Juneteenth is a celebration but also an opportunity for all Americans and residents of Ulster County to acknowledge the continuing struggle for equality, and recommit ourselves to fighting for justice for Black Americans.”

“Today we celebrate Juneteenth as a symbol of the human spirit achieving victory over cruelty and oppression - a reminder that through our endurance and resilience, the promise of freedom and justice for all will prevail,” Town of Esopus Councilwoman the Rev. Evelyn Clarke said.

Ubaka Hill offered a ceremonial drum performance, and Pastor Doris Schuyler of Kingston's Riverview Missionary Baptist Church both sang a song (the 1973 classic "Love Train") and read poetry, including Maya Angelou's iconic "And Still I Rise."

“I chose to sing the song, ‘Love Train,’ because the message of love beckons people from all over the world, regardless of race, creed or color to Get On Board with spreading the message of love; it was the love for family, freedom and human rights that our ancestors gave their lives that we may be free,” she said. “I chose to read the poem, ‘Keep in Your Heart the Blood,’ because we are all truly made of one blood.”

Ulster County Human Rights Commissioner Tyrone Wilson also spoke. Wilson co-founded Harambee, an influential grassroots Ulster County group that supports and promotes Black culture, history and causes. Harambee in the forefront of the coalition which saved the Pine Street African Burial Ground from possible development; the site is hosting its own Juneteenth celebration on Saturday. (Click here for the Facebook event page.)

“Juneteenth is always a day of reflection and remembrance," Wilson said. "I would like to use a quote from Angela Davis: ‘Today on Juneteenth, the day we celebrate the end of slavery, the day we memorialize those who offered us hope for the future and the day when we renew our commitment to the struggle of freedom.'"

Ulster County Legislator Megan Sperry, D-Esopus/New Paltz, spoke briefly. Among other attendees were Ulster County Legislator Phil Erner and Kingston Mayor Steve Noble.

A holiday celebrating the liberation of enslaved Black people during and after the Civil War, Ulster's been a regional pioneer in commemorating Juneteenth. In June 2020, Ryan issued a proclamation to proclaim June 19 as Juneteenth Freedom Day. In June 2021, Congress made Juneteenth a national holiday. In April, Ulster County Legislature adopted a resolution submitted at the request of Ryan designating June 19 as “Juneteenth,” an annual public holiday in Ulster.