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The NAACP Metuchen-Edison-Piscataway Area branch, in partnership with Edison, will host a Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration on June 8, from noon to 7 p.m. The event will take place at Edison Job Corps, 500 Plainfield Ave., Edison.
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According to the celebration’s invitation on Eventbrite, the Grand Marshall of the event is Dr. Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of the Juneteenth Movement.” Lee was present when President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a national holiday, according to biography.com.
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Lee was one of 19 people to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 3, The White House announced.
Reggie Johnson, president of the NAACP’s Metuchen-Edison-Piscataway Area Branch, said Lee will read from one of her books to children at the event.
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The celebration will feature musical performances, the stylings of DJ Sequence, a children’s zone, food trucks and vendors, children’s bike give-a-ways, a health and wellness area, a 4-on-4 basketball tournament, and an attempt to break the Genius Book of World Records record for the longest Soul Train line, according to the Eventbrite.
The celebration will have free, on-site parking and will not have an admissions fee.
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Johnson said Freedom Day “is rooted in education, entertainment, and fostering a vibrant and safe environment for the community.”
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Johnson said the theme for this year’s event is jubilation and is “a four-day celebration of the emancipation of African Americans” and he expects about 3,000 people to attend the celebration.