Juneteenth, a holiday marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people were freed in Texas, will be celebrated at Herrick Park in East Hampton Village and Agawam Park in Southampton Village this weekend. Though it has been observed for 158 years, Juneteenth was made an official national holiday in 2021.
The festivities in Southampton start at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday, and will include performances by musicians and cultural groups such as Sing Harlem, Heaven Sent, Edge School of the Arts, David Wright and the Love Fellowship Choir, dancers from the Shinnecock Nation, and East Hampton's own Lady Najm. There will also be food, vendors, and face painting for kids. Guests should take their own lawn chairs or blankets.
At Herrick Park on Monday from noon to 4 p.m., speakers including the Rev. Walter Silva Thompson Jr. of Calvary Baptist Church will "discuss this important time in our history," according to a flier. There will be live music by Certain Moves. The commemoration is hosted by the church, the East Hampton Anti-Bias Task Force, and the town and village, and is sponsored by the East Hampton Village Foundation and the Tarbet & Lester law firm.
