Somerset County will honor U.S. Colored Troops when it hosts its fourth annual Juneteenth celebration on June 19.
A number of members of the U.S. Colored Troops, who fought for the Union Army in the Civil War, are buried in Somerville’s New Cemetery.
“In New Cemetery, there are 18 soldiers that are buried there, and their stories haven’t been told,” Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Y. Robinson said. “So, continuing with the storytelling, making sure that our history is told in its entirety, and all who have made great contributions to this country, there’s no other way to honor their memory and legacy than to keep their memories alive.”
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the day when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved African Americans in Texas.
In recognition of his work maintaining the graves and preserving the legacy of the Civil War soldiers, Arthur “Art” E.D. Adair will be presented with the county’s Juneteenth Leadership Award during the event, Robinson said.
“Part of the history that hasn’t been told is honoring Art and the work that he does,” Robinson said. “He is a fellow veteran, and so … being able to highlight the contributions that the U.S. Colored Troops and people such as Art Adair and myself have made to this country is important.”
A Somerville native, Adair has spent nearly 50 years serving the community through holding various elected and appointed positions.
Adair, who has six generations of family members buried in New Cemetery, including one who was a member of the U.S. Colored Troops, has dedicated himself to preserving the site since becoming its superintendent in 2005.
In 2011, he transitioned into the role of community relations coordinator, which involves managing burials, sales and marketing.
New Cemetery, a segregated burial ground that was established in 1867, spans 24 acres of land and contains 20,000 graves, Adair said.
“The colored section of the New Cemetery of Somerville is the most significant African American burial ground in New Jersey, and the reason being we have the records,” he said. “So many Black and slave cemeteries, and even white cemeteries, they’re gone. You see people literally stumble across a headstone here, or a couple of headstones there, and find out, oh, it’s a Black burial ground.”
For Adair, his years of service to the New Cemetery have sparked a passion for uncovering his family’s history in Somerset County, which dates back to at least 1796.
“My parents never taught me about family history,” he said. “I’ve learned so much about my family since I started working here. … It inspires you to take a deeper dive into my relatives … who fought in the Civil War and World War I.”
Adair emphasized the importance of storytelling in preserving history, with Juneteenth celebrations serving as platforms to amplify previously untold stories.
“We die twice; We die a physical death. … The second time we die is when our story is no longer told,” Adair said. “It’s our responsibility to tell the story, to hear the story … and then to become the story.”
Robinson said she hopes those attending the program will gain a deeper understanding of Juneteenth’s significance.
“When we do events such as something of this magnitude, I like people to walk away with a sense of education,” she said. “We’re all about the diversity that this community stands on, the pride of the work that we do. It just means so much, and it actually is a way to bring people together from all walks of life and that we celebrate.”
The program, which will feature musical performances, poetry and speeches, is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. on the steps of the Historic Somerset County Courthouse in Somerville.
Mount Zion A.M.E. Church Senior Pastor the Rev. W. Golden Carmon Sr. will deliver the keynote address. Somerset County Surrogate Bernice Jalloh will speak about the county’s new grant-funded initiative to find the stories of enslaved African Americans using deceased inventory records and wills, according to a news release.
