7th Annual Peekskill Juneteenth Parade & Celebration
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. It is the day, June 19, 1865 when the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free. This event occurred more than two and a half years after the date of January 1, 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation had become official. Juneteenth, also known as “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day”, is a holiday created by Black people in the United States to honor, and celebrate African American ancestry, history, achievements, and struggles. Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 45 states as well as the District of Columbia.
The Peekskill Juneteenth Heritage Committee with support from the City of Peekskill has named two Grand Marshals for Peekskill’s Seventh Annual Juneteenth Parade and Celebration which will be held on Saturday, June 17, 2017: Ms. Linda Tarrant-Reid and Mr. Edward Eugene “Pete” Peterson, Jr.
Linda Tarrant-Reid is an author, freelance journalist and photographer. Her current works include: Discovering Black America: From the Age of Exploration to the Twenty-First Century (AbramsBooks, 2012) and the forthcoming Discovering Latino America: From Pre-Colonial Times to the Present-Day (AbramsBooks). Ms. Tarrant-Reid’s first book was Discovering Black New York: A Guide to the City’s Most Important African American Landmarks, Restaurants, Museums, Historical Sites and More (Citadel Press, 2001). Her blog, which can be found at: www.discoverblackus.com features Tarrant-Reid’s take on contemporary issues presented in a historical context impacting the African American community. Information about her works, including her latest book Discovering Black America can be found at: www.discoverblackamerica.com .
Ms. Tarrant-Reid is the President of the Tarrant-Reid Group, a Westchester-based company that provides cultural programming including author presentations, workshops, book signings and symposia, as well as literary and editorial services to schools, corporations and community organizations. She also conducts workshops for grades 2-12 on themes in her book Discovering Black America. Ms. Tarrant-Reid was the co-project manager of “Reflections of Change: A 50-year Retrospective of the Lincoln School Decision,” a yearlong commemoration sponsored by the City School District of New Rochelle in 2011. Linda is the Vice President of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts; Executive Director of the Lincoln Park Conservancy and grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden; and Curator of the NRCA Rotunda Gallery at New Rochelle City Hall.
Edward E. Peterson, Jr. was born at Tuskegee Institute Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama on December 15, 1961 to Edward E. Sr and Annie R. Peterson.
At the age of four his family moved to Peekskill where he was raised. He attended and graduated from the Peekskill School District in 1980. After graduation, he attended and graduated from the Westchester Business Institute in 1982 with an Associate Degree in Business Management. He then enlisted in the Army National Guard. He completed training as a 36 Charlie Communication/Wire Installer, and remained a National Guardsman until 1988.
In 1988, he married his “High School Sweetheart”, Audrey Woods. He has three daughters, Angela, Tiffany and Porsche, two grandsons, Prince E. Marsh and Legend Dala Woode, and one granddaughter, Nyla Nevaeh Tisdell. Pete is a very dedicated family man, with a unique personality. His “motto” is “Strive to be the very best that you can be, in everything you do”.
“Pete” as he is well known, is not a member of any club or organization. He is one of the original organizer of the 1st African American Festival, which is held annually at the Peekskill River Front. He currently has two Music Video shows on the local Cable Station, Strictly Rap, which runs rap music videos, and Soulful Sounds, which runs R&B music videos.
After 25 years of dedicated service to the Peekskill High School as a Security Aide, Pete retired on December 31, 2016. He is the CEO of ESQ Entertainment, which is an Entertainment Company. He has worked closely with the Annual Kwanzaa Expo, which was sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the Parks & Recreation Summer “Teen Night”, Guiding Eyes for the Blind Walkathon, the Elton Brand Summer Basketball Camp, the Red Devils Summer Basketball Camp and the Elton Brand Fan Club. Several of the awards that he has received are; “Continued Dedication & Commitment to all of Peekskill’s Youth”, from the Peekskill Youth Bureau, “Outstanding Public Service & Dedication to Community”, NERROD Enterprises, “Recognition of Appreciation Award”, Peekskill High School Black Culture Club. He also helps with the Peekskill High School Basketball Teams.
The Peekskill Juneteenth Parade will start at 2pm and will be preceded by a short ceremony at Park Street AME Zion Church at 1:30 pm. The parade will kick off on Park Street in front of the church, and end on Water Street.
At Peekskill’s Riverfront Green Park beginning at 11AM, there will be a variety and diversity of vendors. From 4pm to 8pm, there will be an extensive entertainment lineup of Gospel, Jazz, Hip Hop music, dance, and poetry which will be performed on the stage at Riverfront Park. The evening’s dancing music will be provided by BASECAMP, a popular soulful R&B band.
Vendors at Riverfront Green Park will sell food, crafts, clothing, and artifacts that are representative of African, African American, Caribbean, and American culture. Additionally, Underground Railroad Tours will be offered by LaFern Joseph, leaving from The FernTree at 13 South Division Street, Peekskill. To schedule an appointment for a tour call (914) 382-9226.
Admission to the Park is Free. Come out and show your support for this historic event.