Inaugural ‘Jazz in the Park’ Helps To Put a Spotlight on Juneteenth
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a first in a series of stories Front Runner New Jersey will post on how South Jerseyans are preparing to celebrate Juneteenth, the first as a state holiday. Our “Juneteenth Stories” will run through June 19.
AC JosepH Media
ATLANTIC CITY — The City of Atlantic City and Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation Inc. present the first annual “Jazz in the Park” Juneteenth Celebration concert, featuring renowned jazz musician Greg Osby and the “Juneteenth Ensemble.”
Organized by Chicken Bone Beach’s CEO Henrietta Shelton and its board of directors, along with Atlantic City’s Third Ward Councilman, Kaleem Shabazz, the event will be Atlantic City’s inaugural “Juneteenth Celebration” and will take place on June 19 at Brown’s Park on Bacharach Boulevard from 6:30-8 p.m.
Looking for a Juneteenth Celebration. Read here.
With supporting sponsors such as Comcast, the Atlantic City Community Fund, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and a talented lineup of artists, the event is a free celebration to honor American history.
“I am excited to be working with Chicken Bone Beach to present our first annual Juneteenth celebration,” Shabazz said. “We think of our ancestors. Their struggles, sacrifices, and deaths have led us to become who we are today. We stand on their shoulders and we benefit from their dedication to freedom.”
With Greg Osby leading the band on saxophone, Adam Faulk on piano, Jonathan Michel on bass and Khary Abdul Shaheed on drums, attendees are in for a night of great jazz music.
The event has been created to generate awareness of youth programs offered through Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation Inc. and other services provided by the organization. Shelton notes that Chicken Bone Beach is “excited to host an event in collaboration with Atlantic City to show a united front between our leadership and the people.”
Chicken Bone Beach’s mission statement is to create pride in the city’s Black heritage and promote family values and unity in Atlantic County. It educates local youth, community members, and tourists to the original American art form — and to celebrate the rich and dynamic African American history during the era of “Chicken Bone Beach,” when Black and Brown residents could only use a single beach in Atlantic City and residents gave it this nickname.
“It is our pleasure and honor to help celebrate New Jersey’s first Juneteenth Public Holiday, a day celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States,” Shelton said.
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