Juneteenth Celebration at North Stelton AME Church in Piscataway, New Jersey
Pastor Eric R. Billips, Sr., and the North Stelton African Methodist Episcopal Church made history on Saturday, June 17, and Sunday, June 18, 2023, when they hosted their first Juneteenth celebration, entitled “Juneteenth Freedom Festival” on the grounds of North Stelton, located at 123 Craig Avenue in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Juneteenth Freedom Festival was birthed when Pastor Eric and Assistant Pastor Myra Billips decided they wanted to host an event to bring the community of all ages together to celebrate, educate, and advocate for the freedom of all individuals. With assistance from co-chairs Lisa Scott and Derick Dailey, the pastors planned the event that featured music, food, outdoor games, African dance, spoken word, and a traditional drums ensemble.
The celebration also included an essay contest for youth on “What Does Juneteenth Mean to You and Why Is It Important to Celebrate the Holiday?” Contestants had the opportunity to win up to $500 in cash awards.
The Saturday event was supported and attended by Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler, Township and Middlesex County Commissioner Chanelle Scott McCullum, Piscataway Township Civil Rights Advisory Commission (the Reverend Dr. Kenneth L. Saunders, Sr. – Chair) and the Piscataway African American Seniors.
Club. The Middlesex County Health Education and Community Health Improvement Coordinator, Twyla Paige, and others were on-site to provide health information to event attendees. Piscataway Council Member Sharon Carmichael hosted a voter registration table in partnership with “When We All Vote,” a leading national, non-partisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each election by helping to close the race and age gap. There were also presentations by Reginald Johnson, President of the Metuchen-Edison NAACP (New Jersey), and Piscataway resident, William Davis, spoke concerning reparations.
The event was also supported by local pastors, Lost Souls Project of New Jersey; Raritan Valley New Jersey Chapter of Links, Inc.; Progressive Lodge #17, New Brunswick, New Jersey; New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; National Association of Mental Health; Penn State University; and Job Corp of Edison. The office of The Attorney General of New Jersey, Matthew J. Platkin, and State Senator Bob Smith sent special letters of congratulation.
On Sunday, the celebration culminated with a Commemorative Worship Service. Pastor Eric Billips, Sr., preached the sermon, “I’m Not Going to be Bound Anymore,” using Matthew 11:25-30. Co-Chair Derick Dailey announced the winners of the essay contest. There were eight submissions, and everyone received an award for a total of $1050 in cash prizes:
- 1st Place – Layani Austin – Heard AME Church, Roselle, New Jersey – $500
- 2nd Place – Jameel Lewis – Heard AME Church, Roselle, New Jersey – $200
- 3rd Place – Sanai Austin – Heard AME Church, Roselle, New Jersey – $100
- 4th – 8th Place participants each received $50.
The program was topped off with a video presentation from Ms. Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” member of Baker African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Mother Lee talked about the history of the celebration of Juneteenth and suggested things to do on Monday, June 19, the actual Juneteenth holiday. Her highlighted suggestion was to take a 2.5-mile walk in commemoration of the 2.5 years it took for all the 250,000 slaves in Texas to be freed after the Emancipation Proclamation” was signed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln.
Pastor Billips concluded with acknowledgments to all who assisted in the organization and support for the two-day celebration. He and the North Stelton African Methodist Episcopal Church family look forward to continuing the historic celebration with an even bigger and better event next year. To God be the glory!
