HCHC to Host Juneteenth Celebration Honoring Black Memory, Community Power, and Five Years of Local Organizing
This Juneteenth, the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition (HCHC) will bring the community together for a full day of reflection, storytelling, and cultural joy. Centered on the theme Honoring Home, this year’s Who We Be! community archival project, Archiving Home, will begin at 12:00 p.m. at Olympic Torch Park (743 Columbia St.) and continue from 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. at The Hub (47 N. 5th Street).
A community sing, torch lighting, and ancestral procession will open the day, leading into cookout and evening programming at The Hub (47 N. 5th Street, Hudson, NY). The celebration is free and open to all.
This year’s gathering marks a powerful dual milestone: five years since the murder of George Floyd and five years of HCHC’s organizing work across Columbia, Greene, and Albany counties.
Part of HCHC’s 2025 Summer Kickback Series, Who We Be! invites community members to reflect on the meaning of home, memory, and freedom through a dynamic lineup of programming:
ASHE (12:00–3:00 p.m.) “Lift Every Voice” Black Community Sing (Rehearsal from 12:30–2:00 p.m.) Torch lighting and 3-block ancestral procession from Olympic Torch Park (743 Columbia St.) to The Hub (2:00–3:00 p.m.)
COMMUNION (3:00–6:00 p.m.) Altar offerings, history exhibit, and live story collection
WELLNESS CLINIC (3:30–6:30 p.m.) Massage, acupuncture, reiki, and herbal medicine
KICKBACK (4:00–10:00 p.m.) Books, BBQ, games and activities, and the 2nd Annual Spades Tournament
BLACK & FREE DANCE VIBES (6:30–10:00 p.m.) Outdoor dance party featuring music by DJ Spice
A special memorial altar will honor those no longer with us physically, including ancestors, loved ones, and community members whose lives were shaped or shortened by injustice, illness, incarceration, or violence. Participants are encouraged to wear white and bring photos of those they wish to remember.
“Our work began five years ago in response to a national moment of reckoning and a local call to action,” said Tanya Jackson, Executive Director of HCHC. “This Juneteenth, we’re reflecting on that legacy and the communities that shaped it while creating space to heal and move forward together.”
Who We Be! continues HCHC’s tradition of community programming rooted in historical context, which has included block parties, wellness spaces, youth performances, and storytelling-based installations. This year’s focus is on archiving memory and lifting up voices often left out of the historical record.
At a time when conversations around race and equity remain deeply contested, HCHC sees this event as both celebration and civic practice. It is an opportunity to preserve truth, culture, and connection across generations.
RSVP Now! hchc.eventbrite.com
For full Summer Kickback Series updates, visit www.hudsoncatskillhousing.org or follow @hudsoncatskillhousing on Instagram.