Our 2024 Theme

“SANKOFA: Looking Back at Our Past to Move Forward with Purpose for a Brighter Future”

Saturday, June 22nd from 12-7 pm

Shady Rest Golf and Country Club, 820 Jerusalem Rd, Scotch Plains

Social Justice Matters (SJM) is planning our seventh Community Juneteenth Celebration, to be held on Saturday, June 22, 2024. The theme for Juneteenth 2024 is “SANKOFA: Looking Back at our Past to Move Forward with Purpose For a Brighter Future” Juneteenth has a multiplicity of meanings to people of African descent and the larger community. African American heritage encompasses the values, traditions, and culture passed down over generations. Celebrating our heritage breathes life and meaning into our identities and the knowledge of who we are. Looking back on the past provides us with the insight and wisdom to understand where we are in the present moment, gives us the direction and perseverance to move forward to ensure a brighter future for the next generations.

The celebration will take place again at the historic Shady Rest Golf and Country Club - the former home to John Shippen - the first African-American professional golfer and host to some of the era's most prominent musicians such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday!

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Our Opening Ceremony will be hosted by Marklyn “MisterDirect” Johnson. There will be an ASL interpreter during the opening ceremony with a special seating area for the deaf.

Our DJ Jason Summers will provide music through the day. Attendees can enjoy live jazz music by Amani and Gospel Choirs performances by Fountain Baptist Church Choir of Summit and St. Paul AME Voices of Zion Choir of Kenilworth. Additionally, local black children authors will be sharing readings from their books, and there will be a West African Storytelling and Drum presentation by Kojo Ayinde Johnson. Energy breaks hosted by Pretty Beast Mode Fitness . Martial Arts Demonstrations by Family And Community Engagement Corp

We will have food trucks, over 40 information booths, local Black authors, Black-owned businesses and vendors. See list below.

Fun and games: Putting Contest and instruction given by Derrick Garret, Mini golf on the Shady Rest course, Giant Connect Game, bubbles, face painting, balloon art, “Make Your Own Juneteenth” button, chalk drawing, food trucks, and vendors. There will be no admission charge. Attendees can choose to buy refreshments or novelties or to bring their own picnic meals. The event venue is accessible to people with disabilities.

There will be tours of the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club Museum and and Educational Displays of John M. Shippen Jr. .

There will also be a display of the SJM MLK Project inside the Shady Rest Museum. Social Justice Matters has launched a multi-year project creating opportunities for families with school-aged children in our community to share and record up to five minutes of video expressing what Dr. King’s legacy means to them today. The goal is to build an oral history archive of these recording as a reference to see how our community’s perspectives changes over time. These recording have been compiled and will be on display at the SJM Juneteenth Celebration.

In addition there will be a special display of the history Kramer Manor . The Kramer Manor neighborhood of Scotch Plains and Fanwood celebrates its first 100 years this summer! Envisioned as an “ideal colored development” by builders Harry and Hyman Kramer, Kramer Manor offered buyers a rare chance to attain a toehold towards the American Dream. More details at

To Learn Moe About Kramer Manor