Juneteenth: Celebration in Palmyra Recognizes Historic Meaning
Image of Juneteenth event in Palmyra on June 19, 2025. Photo by Jewel Justice
BY JEWEL JUSTICE | For AC JosepH Media
PALMYRA — Families and community leaders from Palmyra, Riverton, and Cinnaminson came together at Chief Payton I. Flournoy Senior Memorial Park on Saturday, June 21 to celebrate Juneteenth.
The PRC Juneteenth Celebration Committee, the event’s organizers, said they hoped to honor Juneteenth’s historical significance at an intimate community setting.
They intentionally shaped the event as both a celebration and history lesson by incorporating speeches and performances that touched on Black people’s legacy.
“Today is more for historical value, because there are a lot of prominent members here … Everybody within the community in their various spaces – from teachers [to] activists – all have organized,” Michael Hunt, PRC’s president, said.
“All of us got together as our collaborative minds to create this unique event, and hopefully people can see it’s more unique than what they would see [elsewhere] because we bring the historical value.”
Two student volunteers opened the event with a land and labor acknowledgment, recognizing the Lenape ancestral homelands, the forced labor of enslaved Africans and a continued commitment to Black liberation. They also described the symbols behind the Juneteenth flag and what they represented for African Americans.
James Hubbard reading General Order No. 3, the document from June 19, 1865. Photo by Jewel Justice
James Hubbard, who represents the 3rd and 6th Regiments of the United States Colored Troops, followed by reading the document that announced enslaved people’s freedom in Galveston, Texas.
“This is the military document related to what [was] already issued two years earlier, the Emancipation Proclamation,” Hubbard said. “These [are] amendments to the Constitution which have led to the freedom that we have today.”
Keisha Hunt, PRC’s director, spoke about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, or the Six Triple Eight, which was the only all-Black women’s World War II unit. Hunt’s cousin served in the group.
“These ladies served their country. They accomplished their mission and showed what African American women can do with the help of God,” Hunt said. “The Hunt family is proud to say that our cousin Dorothy Dale Burkett – her married last name is Riley – who was also part of the Six Triple Eight battalion.”
Hunt said that many people do not know about Black people’s historic contributions, both nationally and in local communities like Palmyra, Riverton, and Cinnaminson.
“There is so much more to this story,” Hunt said. “This little-known historical fact was shared by filmmaker Tyler Perry in 2024. Think about it: 1942 and 2024. So much of our history has been hidden or lost. There is a wealth of Black history in this community [that many do not know].”
Amped to Dance’s live performance. Photo by Jewel Justice
Music also played a central role throughout the event, and event leaders invited people to dance and sing along. Amped to Dance and Konglomerate Kweens dance teams gave live performances, the DJ played songs like the “Cupid Shuffle” and a local vocalist led a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Beyond the main area where public readings and performances took place, attendees of all ages had the opportunity to browse various Black-owned vendors and community organizations’ tents as well as participate in activities.
Leaders of Jack and Jill of America’s Burlington County Chapter, present at the event, emphasized that it is crucial to celebrate and know the history of Juneteenth within the community, especially for children.
Kendra Thompson, the chapter’s vice president, said their organization prioritizes leading the children of the community, and they attended the event to connect and celebrate with families.
Nachelle Bolden, another member, stated that the event is significant for keeping the history alive. “[This event is] important because knowledge is power. I am a mother of three, so I want my kids to know and be aware of and celebrate themselves and their heritage,” Bolden said.
Financial Secretary Brooke Johnson echoed that message. “This is like our Fourth of July – the day we were free,” she said.
Tyrus Ballard, president of Southern Burlington County’s chapter of the NAACP, who was also present, said that coming together to celebrate Juneteenth holds special meaning, given the current political climate.
“It’s perfectly important right now, as we’re seeing so many attacks on DEI, so many attacks on Black history … that these events still continue, whether they get supported by corporations or not, even if it was a federal holiday or not,” Ballard said.
“This was celebrated decades before it was federal. It’s important that we are doing this on our own terms, and we are continuing in the true spirit of Juneteenth.”
My Pins and Needles, one of the vendors at the event. Photo by Jewel Justice
This is not the PRC committee’s first event. For six years, Palmyra, Riverton and Cinnaminson have organized a Juneteenth event together, alternating between the three cities every year.
This year’s celebration was more limited in size, just on the corner of Broad Street and Cinnaminson Avenue in Palmyra. The small crowd, many of whom knew each other, created a close-knit atmosphere.
“Each location is hand-picked by the [boroughs]. Palmyra is more of an intimate space, so it allows for us to have more interaction, where[as] Riverton and Cinnaminson [are] bigger space[s], where we’re allowed to have more enterprise,” president Michael Hunt said.
Every year, PRC aims to honor the holiday’s deep-rooted history and the legacy of Black businesses, as well as remind people that liberation is and always has been a collective effort.
“I hope that people [will] look at Black business as regular business, and they should take the same organizations as not just Black organizations, but organizations that are for the people. Just because there are Black faces should not mean they should discriminate,” Hunt said.
“They should embrace what we have to offer as a community: we do good business, we cook good food, we are just as much outstanding individuals as somebody that may not look like us. And I feel that’s the true unity of this … It is not a one man show. There is a committee of mighty individuals that [are] a part of it.”
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