How Glen Cove Public Library's Juneteenth celebration encourages reflection

Juneteenth is a new federal holiday, having only been named as such in 2021, but already in the last two years it has become both a celebration and chance to reflect on the impact and struggles faced by African Americans throughout the nation’s history. This year, to honor Juneteenth the Glen Cove Public Library held a day of events celebrating and discussing Black culture and history which often goes overlooked or underappreciated.

The origins of Juneteenth date back to 1865 in Texas. It celebrates the freeing of the last slaves following the end of the Civil War. Juneteenth is widely considered the longest-running African American holiday, and celebrations often include eating red food and drinks, singing traditional songs and other celebrations of African American culture.

The library had all of that and more on June 17, held in advance of Juneteenth as the library is closed during federal holidays. Lydia Wen, a librarian and archivist, organized a series of events which varied between celebratory and educatory and ran throughout the course of the day.

Last year the library held a small exhibit of quilts made by the Quilters of Color Network, a nonprofit based in New York City, depicting scenes and events from African-American history. While several quilts were included in this year’s Juneteenth event, and attendees were able to discuss them with Quilters of Color members, Wen said she felt it was important to expand the scope of the library’s efforts this year.

“This year I knew that I wanted to do a little bit more around the exhibit, creating more of a celebration,” Wen explained. “Juneteenth is an incredibly significant day for so many people, and I just felt it was important that we do our part to inform the community about the amazing history not just of Juneteenth, but of African Americans here on Long Island and across the country.”

Wen led attendees through a plant exhibit of the developing “seed library,” which hold a wide range of crops that have cultural and historical significance for African Americans. On display were cash crops such as cotton and tobacco, which enslaved African Americans were often forced to grow, harvest and package by their masters.

Wen also pointed out that the garden held several plants and crops which enslaved people brought over with them from Africa and subsequently became important and beloved aspects of Black cuisine, such as okra and black eyed peas.

The day also included several talks about famous regiments of color that served in the United States armed forces before the end of segregation in the military, notably the Harlem Hellfighters and the Tuskegee Airmen.

Richard Harris, assistant dean and professor of humanities at the Webb Institute, explained that although the Hellfighters were predominately made up of volunteers from Harlem, where they got their iconic nickname, dozens of them had been from Glen Cove and nearby communities.

“I think that they represent one of the most interesting military groups in American history,” Harris said. “When we look at what we did a little over one hundred years ago, today it’s important to remember what they accomplished during the First World War.”

The day was also filled with music, particularly genres created by or significant to African-American culture and history such as spirituals and jazz. Spirituals such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” are particularly relevant on Juneteenth, as these songs often contained hidden messages and information for enslaved people seeking to flee the North before the Civil War.

Members of the Glen Cove High School Select Chorale and the Adult Choir from the First Baptist Church sang spirituals as well as choir music. The Carl Bartlett Jr. Trio played jazz, a genre deeply entrenched in Black culture and heavily influenced by other Black music such as blues and ragtime.