Montgomery residents and visitors, despite facing the afternoon’s searing temperatures, gathered at Wooster Grove in Walden last Wednesday, June 19, and joined SPOMA for its fourth annual Juneteenth, a celebration of African American culture and the abolition of slavery.

This holiday, considered the country’s second Independence Day, began in 1865 after 250,000 former slaves discovered they were free following the Emancipation Proclamation’s passing. Juneteenth was initially celebrated in Texas and was gradually adopted by other states, eventually becoming a federal holiday in 2021. Opal Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” pushed Congress to recognize the holiday after walking 1,400 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington D.C., and collecting over 1.5 million signatures.

Between noon and 4 p.m., attendants enjoyed the celebration’s various offerings: food, face paintings, vendors, raffles, and music from DJ Mizz Official. Most importantly, they learned about the struggles that African Americans faced during and after slavery and the importance of preserving this history. This ties directly into SPOMA’s mission; the committee, known as the Sacred Place of My Ancestors, has spent the past few years maintaining the town’s African American cemetery along Route 416, comprising 171 graves dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

“Today, we honor our ancestors who paved the way for us to be here, we celebrate their achievements, and the words of Opal Lee that old weight in our country today,” said Mercedes Ortiz, a SPOMA Guardian. “Juneteenth is not a Texas thing, it’s not a Black thing. We’re talking about freedom for everyone.”

The celebration opened with an introduction from Ortiz, followed by a prayer from Pastor John Borden of the Cathedral Holy Trinity Church of Unity, and a live performance of the National Black Anthem by Cassandra Borden, the church’s First Lady. Dionne Scott-Boissard, co-chair of SPOMA, thanked everyone who made this year’s Juneteenth possible and provided background on her organization.

“We are a committee of individuals who come together with our own unique political, social, cultural, and moral values. But when we come together as a collective, we surrender all these titles and affiliations,” she said. “We commune and organize as fellow human beings for the purpose of remembrance, forgiveness, and healing. We are about promoting love, healing, education, and unity for all the people across this land and the continuance of a diverse and inclusive Montgomery and greater Hudson Valley.”

Later on, Ramapough Tribal Elder Poinsettia Bonita Sam Kumar performed an offering ceremony for the community’s African American ancestors. Sometime after, Archaeologist Bill Sandy then shared his studies of the Montgomery African American Cemetery and explained how the town restored the site. He emphasized that the cemetery has helped him and the community understand the history of the area’s African Americans and indigenous peoples.

“In 1995, the historic Montgomery Colored Cemetery, as it was called, was heavily overgrown, obscured, and little known. Then Town Historian Robert Williams mounted a campaign to clean it up, fully document it, and bring it the recognition it truly deserved,” Sandy explained. “With the support of Then-Supervisor Carl Helstrom and the town, I was chosen to coordinate the field efforts because of my experience at other historic cemeteries.”

“Americans are striving towards a better understanding of our shared past. The Montgomery cemetery is both an integral part of this understanding and an economic engine that will spur cultural heritage tourism,” he continued. “Together, we must continue to discuss the conservation, memorialization, and interpretation of this remarkable site.”

Heather Quinlan, producer and director of “Staten Island Graveyard,” discussed her own revelations while documenting the history of the Cherry Lane Cemetery in Staten Island. This site contains a thousand African Americans who were buried as far back as the 1850s; the cemetery was paved over in 1954 and turned into a gas station, then later a shopping center. Accompanying Quinlan was David Thomas, whose ancestor was buried in Cherry Lane.

“We are working now to try and restore the cemetery to what it once was, and through genealogy, we have found the descendants of the people who were buried there and where their remains are now. One of the people who was buried there was Benjamin Prine, the longest-living, formerly enslaved person from Staten Island,” Quinlan said. “Joining me here is Benjamin Prine’s great-great-great-grandson, David Thomas, who did not know of Benjamin Prine even though he lives a mile away.”

“If it wasn’t for Heather, we wouldn’t have any idea that our great-great-great-grandfather was a part of all this. In this graveyard, there are up to anywhere from 90 to a thousand bodies many people in Staten Island have no idea who they are,” Thomas said. “What Heather did was history; she did her research and came to us about it. If it wasn’t for her, we would have no idea what was going on.”

The celebration concluded with a performance from Lyricist LotuZ, an artist and spoken word poet, followed by attendants line dancing with Zumba Instructor Gwyn Jones. Overall, everyone had a great time at this year’s Juneteenth and left with a greater appreciation for the community’s history and diversity.

“It was fabulous. It’s always a good thing to come together and love one another in honor of our ancestors,” said Scott-Boissard. “We had great food and music, and you can’t go wrong with that.”