Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday celebrated on June 19th and commemorates the date slaves were officially freed in the United States. On June 3rd, 2021, former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller announced that the township would observe the Friday before Juneteenth (Juneteenth fell on a Saturday in 2021) as a public holiday. Read on to learn more about Juneteenth and the holiday's history in Montclair, New Jersey.

The History of Juneteenth

Juneteenth, or June 19th, is the date that officially recognizes the day on which slaves were freed. Although President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863, it took about two and a half years for the news to reach the southern states where there were still enslaved people. About 250,000 people were still being used as slaves until Union General Gordon Granger informed the people of Texas that all slaves were free.

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While many members of the Black community have recognized and celebrated Juneteenth for decades, it's only in the last couple of years that we have begun to see legislation to publicly recognize Juneteenth as a holiday.

In September 2020, Governor Murphy signed legislation declaring the third Friday in June a state and public holiday celebrating Juneteenth. Mayor Spiller announced in 2021 that Montclair would also observe the third Friday as a public holiday. Shortly after Mayor Spiller's announcement, President Biden signed a proclamation making Juneteenth a federal holiday. As a result, all municipal offices were set to be closed, and recycling collection did not take place on this new holiday.

Making it a Public Holiday in Montclair

In an announcement from the township, former Montclair Mayor Spiller said, “Juneteenth is not only a celebration of this momentous period in our history, but also a day that affords us an opportunity to consider how much more needs to be done to ensure true equity and justice for all Americans. The need to recognize the challenges we still face as a nation, to confront the systemic racism rooted in so many of our institutions, and to truly live up to the ideals prescribed in the founding documents of this great nation is a call to action that each of us, as Americans, need to answer.”

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Even though the rest of the country followed suit, Montclair was proudly ahead of the curve by declaring Juneteenth a public holiday.

This Juneteenth, there are many ways to celebrate and recognize this important day in history. We've rounded up Juneteenth events in Essex County for everyone to be able to participate in this historic day.