Gabby Ford leads party guests in a dance at the center of Lantern Lane for the borough’s holiday celebration on June 14.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday celebrated annually on June 19.
The holiday commemorates the freeing of the last slaves in the nation on June 19, 1865, when Major Gen. Gordon Granger ordered enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the Civil War.
For several years, the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project – together with the Historical Society of Haddonfield, the borough’s Education Association and the Human Relations Commission – has held events to commemorate the holiday.
Most notably, they’ve held walking tours through the borough that highlighted African-American residents from the town’s founding to the modern day, as well as amplifying businesses and institutions run by or significant to Blacks in Haddonfield.
This year’s Juneteenth celebrations have expanded, as the borough partnered with the history project to include the first Sadie Hawkins dance party and barbecue on June 14, ahead of the holiday.
The Black Haddonfield project was co-founded by C. Adrienne Rhodes, who is also its acting administrator.
“We always celebrate Juneteenth,” Rhodes noted. “We’ve been doing that since we came into existence, but this year, we wanted to partner with the borough so we could have broader participation from the community, and we wanted to increase our programming from a simple walking tour to something more festive, which turned out to be this community barbecue and dance party.”
That event immediately followed the premiere of the project’s new docuseries, “Preserve: Narratives from Historic Haddonfield’s African American Community.” Kevin Harewood is its editor.
“Even though people had different obstacles in life, being in a town where the Black population is very small, they all accomplished success in various different ways,” he explained. “They overcame and uplifted past the obstacles that they had.”
The dance party also followed the reveal of a historical marker that designated The Point at Ellis and Potter streets as part of the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail and a seasonal walking tour. The celebration was held at Lantern Lane, next to the sculpture of Haddy the Dinosaur.
Food was catered and served by Henri’s Hotts Barbeque for those who paid $25 and a suggested donation of $10 to the history project was requested of those who only wanted to dance.
Library director Eric Zino was also in attendance.
“One of the things that I’m enjoying so much about today is the opportunity to have conversations that are really expanding my horizons, causing a lot of reflection for myself,” he acknowledged. “I’ve had a couple of moments today where I’ve felt like my relationships and world view have been really widely expanded, and that’s really great.”
Tables were set up with Juneteenth-themed centerpieces and balloons and tablecloths with green, red and black patterns, in honor of the colors of the Pan-African flag. A DJ booth was set up at one end of the lane to provide music. Instructors Gabby Ford and George Davis, of Dance Haddonfield, taught guests moves like the salsa and the Cupid Shuffle, as well as styles from various African cultures.
“I’ve been studying dance for a while now,” Ford said, “and I’m really glad to share it with the community. I’m excited. People need to know where a dance has come from so we can appreciate other cultures.”
“They asked me to bring out and teach some basics in dances that were of African origin,” Davis said, “so we put a group of those together and just developed some simple steps that people could do and could learn, and basically just get out and have some fun.”
Dolores Streater Logan was born in Haddonfield and has spent much of her life in the South Jersey area.
“I’m home again …” she observed of the Juneteenth celebration. “So I have beautiful memories of Haddonfield. It’s just my home as well as Lawnside …
“I’m so proud to be a part of this community.”
