Juneteenth celebration takes over New Rochelle park
The fifth annual celebration was hosted by The Lincoln Park Conservancy.
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Glen Island Park in New Rochelle was packed with people celebrating Juneteenth on Thursday.
Attendee Virginia Brown described the event as "wonderful."
"You know, [it's] a celebration of our freedom and we are just ecstatic that we have this holiday," Brown said.
The fifth annual celebration was hosted by The Lincoln Park Conservancy.
"Restoring our History" was the theme of this year's event, according to executive director Linda Tarrant-Reid.
"So, we do this in every way possible through the music, through dance, through the crafts, through the people, through the spoken word. So, we're thrilled," Tarrant-Reid said.
Guests also got the chance to shop and eat.
"Soul food and Juneteenth go hand and hand," Chef Ed, of Chef Ed's said.
Other people, like New Rochelle NAACP President Aisha Cook, reflected on the Black experience in Westchester.
"In some ways, we feel loved and appreciated, and in some ways, we feel completely disrespected," Cook said.
That contradiction is what drives many people to keep fighting because the liberation work is far from over, according to Brown.
"What this country is trying to do is forget our history, but we will not let that happen," Brown said.
