Pulaski Street School celebrates Juneteenth with annual essay contest

Pulaski Street Intermediate School celebrated Juneteenth on Wednesday by announcing the winners of its annual essay contest for fifth-graders.

“Today, we gather to celebrate Juneteenth, a day that reminds us of the importance of freedom, equality and the hope for a better future,” principal Laura Arcuri said. “I want to give a big thank you to all the students who participated and submitted their work.” 

Students were asked to write in celebration of Juneteenth in poetry or prose. There were more than 100 submissions in the essay contest, Arcuri said.

This year’s contest winners were Quinn Corwin, Ivy Stoetzel and Emmitt Stevens. (Read their essays below.) Each student read aloud their contest entry and received a plaque. Their classes will be given an ice cream party towards the end of the school day, Arcuri said.

“Over the years, the contest has opened the minds of many students to the horrors of slavery and the joy that the Emancipation Proclamation brought,” said Pulaski teacher Trevor Hewitt, one of the contest organizers. “Students are often astounded by the fact that it took two and a half years for all slaves to receive their freedom. The students who participated in this year’s contest took the time to express the celebration of that freedom.”

Juneteenth marks the date of June 19, 1865 when Union Army Major General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, to inform the people of Texas that slaves were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Granger’s announcement came nearly two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation, and two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.

“You always will remember and commemorate Juneteenth — why we’re taking off tomorrow, why it’s important. And many of you who spoke and wrote on why Juneteenth is so important. So we want to thank you,” said Jamaal Boyce, the district’s diversity, equity and inclusion specialist. “We appreciate what you guys have done, and recognizing and understanding the importance of Juneteenth.”

“Tomorrow, make sure you celebrate, make sure you eat, make sure you dance, make sure you have a fun time,” Boyce said.

Robert “Bubbie” Brown of Riverside, one of the contest’s original organizers and a judge this year, recited an original poem aloud to the fifth graders gathered in the auditorium for the ceremony. This year marks the first time students were allowed to submit poems as part of the contest.

A Juneteenth celebration, hosted by the Butterfly Effect Project, will take place tomorrow from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the community organization’s campus at 1146 Main Road in Aquebogue. Everything at the event will be provided at no charge to visitors.

Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans with community gatherings since the 1800s. It was recognized as a federal holiday by an act of Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.