Juneteenth in Historic Seneca Village (2026)
Thank you to all who joined us for this year’s Juneteenth in Seneca Village event! Together we celebrated the spirit of community and the history of Seneca Village with a special performance of music, dance, and spoken word.
This Juneteenth, we celebrated with Broadway’s DeWitt Fleming, Jr., and an intergenerational performers in the historic Seneca Village landscape in Central Park. Through interpretive music, theater, dance, and spoken word we were transported to Seneca Village in 1845, where Black New Yorkers built their own homes, churches, and a school. The performance explored how Andrew Williams’s 1825 land purchase evolved into a thriving community, and engaged with the unique history of Seneca Village—deepening our collective awareness of this significant 19th-century free Black community while bridging past and present.
Directed by Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Ben Harney, the performance was written and conceived by DeWitt Fleming, Jr. and co-produced by DeW It Right Productions, with original works by Markeisha Ensley and Mikumari Caiyhe.
If you were unable to attend, we encourage you to watch performance highlights (below) and stay tuned for future programs!
Video: Movements by Shar | Soundtrack: Alphonso Horne and the Gotham Kings
Featured Performers:
- Broadway performer DeWitt Fleming, Jr.
- Broadway performer Jennie Harney Fleming
- Trumpeter, composer, and educator Alphonso Horne
- Poet and emcee Mikumari Caiyhe
- Writer, composer, and singer Markeisha Ensley
- Master percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell
- Christian Cultural Center drama department
- Harlem School of the Arts drama and music students
This event is part of Seneca Village: Toward a Permanent Commemoration, an ongoing program series funded by the Mellon Foundation. This series will culminate in a community-informed framework guiding the future design of a permanent commemoration of Seneca Village in Central Park.
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COMMUNITY EVENTS BY THE CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY
Central Park Conservancy community events reflect the spirit of the Park itself: fun, free, and open to all. Join us all year for family-friendly programs across Central Park—featuring music, movement, art, film, and more—creating a culture of connection in the Park we all love.