James Monroe presented a talk about his life in Orange in the 1960s, “Growing Up During Jim Crow and the Transition to Integration,” as part of the Juneteenth celebration hosted by the Orange County African American Historical Society (OCAAHS) on Friday, June 19, at the African American Commemorative Park at the corner of Church and Chapman streets in Orange. Before joining the Air Force, Monroe, who goes by Bruce, witnessed plenty of unequal opportunity and unequal treatment

Juneteenth special events set for Friday afternoon at the African American Commemorative Park in Orange Hilary Holladay Jun 18, 2026 Article in its entirety James Bruce Monroe III grew up in Orange and has lived here almost his entire life. After high school, Monroe enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and spent five years on active duty, mostly at Dover Air Force Base. During a phone interview on Monday (June 15), he told me of his time at the Delaware base, “That’s where I discov

What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth—a blend of the words “June” and “nineteenth”—is a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Specifically, it marks June 19, 1865, the day when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas. This day is significant because it was more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1,

Virtual Panel Discussion “Stories From Our Arts” Thursday, June 29th at 7pm EST We’re completing our 2023 celebration of Juneteenth ...

Virtual Panel Discussion “Stories From Our Congregation” Thursday, June 22nd at 7pm EST We’re continuing our celebration of Juneteenth!...

June 1 - Stories from Our Land: A Discussion About the Role of the Natural Environment and Landscape in People’s Journeys to Freedom...

June 1 “Juneteenth: A Homecoming Celebration” This panel will focus on the meaning of Juneteenth, its role as an Independence day, how...

These women plus Charlotte Cole who could not be present for the interview constitute the dynamic team putting together the LIVE 2022...

Super exciting to share the construction photos of the park underway.

Jim McIntosh shares a portion of his personal and ancestral stories and discusses with Bethany Sullivan, director of the James Madison...