ATLANTIC CITY - Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation, Inc. will present its first-ever Jazz in the Park Juneteenth Celebration concert 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 19 at Brown's Park on Bacharach Boulevard in Atlantic City. The concert features renowned jazz musician Greg Osby and the Juneteenth Ensemble.
Organized by Chicken Bone Beach CEO Henrietta Shelton and the Board of Directors, Third Ward Councilman Kaleem Shabazz, and supporting sponsors, such as Comcast, Atlantic City Community Fund, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and a talented lineup of artists, the free event honors American history.
It is our pleasure and honor to help celebrate New Jersey's first Juneteenth public holiday, a day celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States, Shelton said.
"I am excited to be working with Chicken Bone Beach to present our first annual Juneteenth celebration. We think of our ancestors. Their struggles, sacrifices, and deaths have led us to become who we are today. We stand on their shoulders, and we benefit from their dedication to freedom, Shabazz said.
With Greg Osby leading the band on saxophone, Adam Faulk on piano, Jonathan Michel on bass and Khary Abdul Shaheed on drums, attendees are in for a night of great jazz music.
The event has been created to generate awareness about the youth programs offered through Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation. Shelton said the event showcases a united front between our leadership and the people."
Chicken Bone Beach works to create pride in the city's Black heritage and promote family values and unity. It educates local youths, community members and tourists about jazz, the country's original American art form, and the rich and dynamic African American history during the era of Chicken Bone Beach, when Black and Brown residents could only use a single beach in Atlantic City and residents gave it this nickname.