Battery Park City Authority celebrates Juneteenth

The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) says it will host its Eighth Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 15, at Rockefeller Park at Chambers Street and River Terrace in lower Manhattan, featuring a “jam-packed lineup” of free activities, including storytelling, pony rides, music, arts and crafts and more for the whole family to enjoy.

BPCA said on Wednesday that the Federation of Black Cowboys (FBC) will share the history of Juneteenth and horsemanship, and kids ages three and up can take a pony ride.

FBC will read from the book “Sugar of the Crop,” and Juneteenth LP will play music inspired by the African Diaspora, BPCA said.

It said families will also have the opportunity to paint their own Juneteenth flag and make bookmarks with West African printed cotton and recycled materials.

“As an organization that strives to elevate and share our ecological, social, and historical environment, Battery Park City Authority is honored to offer our 8th annual Juneteenth Celebration,” Abby Ehrlich, BPCA’s director of Community Partnerships & Public Art, told Caribbean Life. “Juneteenth provides an important opportunity to redefine American history by including African American history from a group of fascinating experts.

An attendee gets creative at the event’s arts and crafts station. Photo courtesy Battery Park City Authority

“In an afternoon of presentations by very talented Black performers, composers and writers, BPC’s Juneteenth tradition means listening to seldom heard stories, riding horses with the Federation of Black Cowboys, listening and singing along to poignant, beautiful music, riding horses with the Federation of Black Cowboys, and enjoying hands-on art making,” she added.

Ehrlich said, this year, a Book Tent will celebrate African American literature.

“Here, in the view of the Statue of Liberty, we invite everyone to commemorate Emancipation Day in Battery Park City,” she said.

Sheryl “Keisha” Morse, president of Federation of Black Cowboys, New York City, said that bringing the history and experience of Black horsemanship directly to the youth of New York City is “at the heart of what we do.”

Members of The Federation of Black Cowboys pose with their steed.Photo courtesy Battery Park City Authority

“Partnering with Battery Park City Authority on its Juneteenth Celebration helps us serve our mission of promoting greater understanding of African American heritage through direct exposure to horsemanship, educational stories and oral histories recounted about the Black West,” she told Caribbean Life.

“We hope to inspire a new generation of cowboys and cowgirls this Juneteenth at Battery Park City,” she added.

Established in 1968, The Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority is a New York State Public Benefit Corporation charged with developing and maintaining a well-balanced, 92-acre community of commercial, residential, retail and open space, including more than 30 acres of public parks, on Manhattan’s Lower West Side.

Through execution of its strategic plan, BPCA said it works daily toward being “an inclusive community, a safe and climate resilient place, and a vibrant public space, all while demonstrating leadership for the future with a team dedicated to improving service and project delivery.”

FBC was created in 1994 by a group of diverse people looking to share and promote knowledge of the “Black West.”

“Seeking to create greater understanding of African American culture and heritage, we endeavor to provide educational opportunities for the young public of New York,” said FBC, stating that it is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501-C3 organization, with its Cedar Lane headquarters in Howard Beach, Queens.

“Our primary goal at Cedar Lane is to expose young kids to the art of western horsemanship and the skills required to properly care for a horse,” it added. “We also aim to inspire the kids with the stories of African American historical heroes such as: Bill Pickett, Nat Love, Bass Reeves and Stagecoach Mary.”

The federation said it also works closely with numerous civic and community groups.

In addition to the regular programs and instruction offered at Cedar Lane, FBC said it participates in work release programs, prison visitations, parades, lectures and block parties.

“Whenever the opportunity develops, we host rodeos, showdeos; and, every summer, we host our Annual Prayer Breakfast,” FBC said.