Photo of the Day: Juneteenth Celebration, Englewood NJ

My hometown, Englewood NJ, celebrated Juneteenth with not one but four days of a festival from this past Thursday through Sunday. I took this photo yesterday, as residents thronged Depot Square to eat, go on rides, and, as you see here, listen to the music.

For those who’d like to ponder the meaning of Juneteenth, when it began in 1865 in Texas (the last state in the Union to hear the proclamation that all slaves were free) and to our own time, I urge you to read this blog post from historian, literary critic, and public intellectual Henry Louis Gates connected to his PBS documentary series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.