Brooklyn's Progress
August 2002

On June 22nd, neighbors, artists, businesses, entertainers and more participated in the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Day Celebrations. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. The Cooperative Culture Collective, a group founded by Brenda Brunson-Bey, Selma Jackson, Spring McClendon and Charles Reese, sponsored the celebration. With the help of Fleet Bank funding, Fulton FIRST, a program of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce that promotes better shopping on Fulton Street, staffed a booth to talk with area residents and business owners. The event was a tremendous success and a sales boost for area businesses. According to the leading salesperson at local boutique, the celebration help bring in record sales.