Kingston Community Hosts Black Fourth of July Event at Historic Church
The Old Dutch Church and Harambee in Kingston, New York, hosted a "Black Fourth of July" event on July 7, 2026, bringing together music, poetry, and education to address historical injustices. The gathering drew community members looking for an alternative way to mark the holiday. Organizers said the event was about reclaiming the meaning of freedom for all Americans.
The Old Dutch Church and Harambee in Kingston, New York, hosted a "Black Fourth of July" event on July 7, 2026. The gathering featured music, poetry, and educational programming focused on the history of racial injustice in America.
Organizers said the event offered an alternative way to mark the holiday, one that acknowledged the gap between the promise of American freedom and the lived experience of Black Americans throughout history. The event drew community members of various backgrounds.
The "Black Fourth of July" concept has roots in Frederick Douglass's 1852 speech, in which he asked what the Fourth of July meant to enslaved people. Modern observances draw on that tradition, using the holiday as a moment to reflect on unfinished work toward equality.
Kingston has a long history tied to both Dutch colonial settlement and the Underground Railroad. The Old Dutch Church, one of the oldest congregations in the region, has in recent years opened its doors to community events that address racial history.
Harambee, a community organization whose name means "pulling together" in Swahili, partnered with the church to organize the event. The two groups said they planned to make the gathering an annual tradition.
The event in Kingston was one of several "Black Fourth of July" observances held across the country in 2026, as communities grappled with how to mark America's 250th anniversary in ways that included all of its history.
