This story was reported by Maureen Mullarkey , Nicholas Spangler , Nicolas Villamil and Nayden Villorente . It was written by Spangler. On Juneteenth, the day Americans mark the end of slavery in the United States, Long Islanders gathered at churches, parks and even a hospital.
“We wanted to show what community looks like and how we want to celebrate Juneteenth,” said Tijuana Fulford at First Baptist Church in Riverhead, just one of the many celebrations held Wednesday to mark the federal holiday first recognized in the United States in 2021. Fulford, founder of The Butterfly Effect Project, a nonprofit serving girls with enrichment and life skills programs, put on a feast with her group’s young members. More than 35 vendors and Butterfly members set up tables in the parking lot and yard of First Baptist, where the group is based.
Guests strolled table to table, enticed by the smell of banana pudding, fried chicken and lima beans. Butterfly members then performed on a stage provided by the Town of Riverhead. There was hair-braiding, Connect Four and cornhole to play.
Kristine Goree owner of Natural Native Hair Visions in Southhampton braiding hair at The Butterfly Effect Project “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Community” at the First Baptist Church of Riverhead on Wednesday. Credit: A.J.
Singh Juneteenth marks the date, June 19, 1865, when a Union general told enslaved Black residents of Galveston, Texas, they were free, more than two months after the surrender of Conf.