The Metuchen Edison Piscataway Area Branch of the NAACP’s Juneteenth celebration this year has been moved off federal property because of concerns it might violate President Trump’s executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion.
“We at the NAACP are being forced to relocate our annual Juneteenth Festival from federal grounds simply because it could be seen as a DEI initiative and risk retaliation under the Trump Administration’s agenda. That’s not just unacceptable – it’s dangerous,” said Reggie Johnson, president of this NAACP branch.
The event, originally planned for June 7 at the Edison Job Corps Center, has been rescheduled for June 14 at Papaianni Park in Edison, according to Johnson.
Johnson emphasized the event has not been cancelled but only moved to a new location.
He said the NAACP received a call from Job Corps, a U.S. Department of Labor program that offers academic and vocational training, after representatives went to Washington to express worry about potential program cutbacks.
He said Job Corps officials were concerned about possible punitive action for allowing certain activities, like the Juneteenth celebration, on federal property. The event was held on the Job Corps property last year.
“It wasn’t like Trump called them up and said don’t do it,” said Johnson, adding that Job Corps was worried about any potential impact on its government contract.
Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States, became a federal holiday with bipartisan support in Congress in 2021. It is officially celebrated on June 19.
“Who could blame organizations that depend on federal funding for trying to avoid the wrath of a spiteful Trump administration that see diversity and inclusion not as cornerstones of our democracy, but as threats to be eliminated,” Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said in a press release.
“This is the same administration that tried to erase Jackie Robinson’s triumphs and downplay the heroism of the Navajo Code Talkers,” Pallone continued. “Trump and his cronies have proven themselves to be small, fragile people – unwilling to embrace the full story of America, including the emancipation of enslaved people that we honor on Juneteenth.”
Pallone said history can’t be ignored.
“The public deserves to know exactly what happened here – a coordinated national effort by Donald Trump and his cronies to erase truth, suppress inclusion and rewrite American history,” Pallone said.
To avoid having to reschedule or relocate the Juneteenth event at the last minute after months of planning, Johnson said Edison Township agreed to host the event at Papaianni Park near the Municipal Complex.
He said the new location also required the event’s date to be changed to June 14.
“Juneteenth is multicultural now, it starts off Afrocentric, but we’ve been inclusive over the years,” Johnson said.
Johnson said this year’s event will honor The Singing Pastors of Piscataway, who have recorded several albums.
“They went around the country singing,” Johnson said. “They were very good.”
The members are the Rev. Kenneth L. Saunders Sr. from the North Stelton AME Church and chairman of the Piscataway Civil Rights Commission, the Rev. Linwood Rouse of Macedonia Baptist Church, the Rev. Otis Bowden of Zion Hill Baptist Church, and Edison Payne of Travelers Baptist Church.
The event also will include bands, fireworks, vendors and bicycle giveaways and is expected to attract about 1,000 people.
“It has really blossomed into a great event,” Johnson said.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
