Hudson County Community College will host the “Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom Through the Arts” next week, the institution announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The event will take place on Wednesday, June 21st at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin J. Dineen III and Dennis C. Hull Gallery on the sixth floor of the HCCC Gabert Library.
Pamela Gardner, lifelong educator and a member of the HCCC Board of Trustees, will serve as the program host and the HCCC Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the HCCC African American Outreach Committee, are hosting the event.
President Joe Biden (D) signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021 to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday in response to the efforts of Lula Briggs Galloway, Opal Lee, and others.
HCCC officially recognized the observance of Juneteenth in 2021 as a floating holiday.
The College’s 2023 “Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom Through the Arts” program will include:
- Invocation by Reverend Kevin Williams, Pastor, Claremont Presbyterian Church
- Musical Performance by Jersey City artist, Karma;
- Welcome by Yeurys Pujols, HCCC Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion;
- Greetings from Joyce Watterman, Jersey City Council President;
- Spoken Word by Rashad Wright, Poet Laureate Emeritus of Jersey City;
- Two Dance Performances by The King’s Daughters of Praise, Trinity Faith Church of the Living God, Jersey City;
- Gospel Solo by Rhudy Snelling, Jr., Director of Community Engagement and Clergy Affairs, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office;
- Keynote Address by Bakari Lee, Vice Chair of the HCCC Board of Trustees; and
- Closing Remarks by Dr. Christopher Reber, HCCC President
The HCCC Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) promotes an institutional climate that embraces and celebrates differences while championing equitable and inclusive practices, policies, and procedures throughout the college.