New York Metropolis Division of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo offers remarks.
Picture courtesy Workplace of Council Member Farah Louis/Richard DeBose
Brooklyn Council Member Farah N. Louis hosted the Fifth Annual Central Brooklyn Juneteenth Celebration and Teen Entrepreneurship Expo on June 19, the Juneteenth vacation. A whole lot of attendees gathered on the steps of the Brooklyn Public Library for a robust afternoon of cultural pleasure and youth management.
In its fifth yr, Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants, mentioned the occasion has turn into one in every of Brooklyn’s premier Juneteenth celebrations, “honoring the legacy of Black freedom whereas amplifying the voices and skills of the borough’s subsequent technology.
“Juneteenth isn’t just a day of celebration — it’s a reminder that the struggle for fairness and justice is ongoing,” mentioned Louis, consultant for the forty fifth Council District. “Right this moment, we honored that legacy by placing younger individuals on the heart: their concepts, their creativity, and their political energy.”
Louis mentioned this system featured a youth-led demonstration, dwell performances from breakout artists like 41, 2Rare, Diany Dior, and Vina Love, and appearances by neighborhood performers, together with the Brooklyn United Marching Band and Victory Music & Dance Firm.
Juneteenth NYC offered a “showstopping trend present, whereas youth distributors, meals vans, and interactive video games added to the colourful ambiance,” Louis mentioned.
She mentioned the Teen Entrepreneurship Expo allowed younger individuals to pitch their enterprise concepts earlier than a panel of outstanding Black enterprise leaders and influencers.
The council member mentioned one standout concept obtained a $5,000 prize — a part of the occasion’s mission to construct Black financial empowerment from the bottom up.
Notable dignitaries and company included US U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, and NYC Division of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo.
The occasion featured Dr. Jamila T. Davis and Dr. Meda Montana and was hosted by Brooklyn-based rapper Phresher.
Louis mentioned this yr’s celebration was made potential due to the beneficiant help of an enormous community of neighborhood sponsors and companions, together with Sizzling 97, Companions Uplifting Our Daughters and Sons (PUDS), the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn United Marching Band, Juneteenth NYC, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, I Am Wonda Lady Basis, The Brooklyn Financial institution, EmblemHealth, Our Tent Household Enrichment Heart, Victory Music & Dance Firm, Discover Neighborhood Connections, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and Entertainers for Training Alliance – I Will Graduate.
“I need to thank everybody who confirmed up at present and everybody who made this occasion occur,” Louis mentioned. “Juneteenth is about remembering the place we’ve been and pushing for the long run we deserve. Seeing our younger individuals lead like this provides me hope that the long run is brilliant.”
