City council members in Summit, New Jersey, denounced critics at a City Council meeting, saying they were “disgusted” by the backlash he received after being invited to speak at the city’s Juneteenth event because of his Republican affiliation.
Summit City Councilman Jamel Boyer told Fox News Digital on Friday that he, too, was “treated with disrespect” while speaking at the Juneteenth commemoration.
“And then the moderator came over to me and whispered in my ear while I was speaking to finish. That’s not something you should do to a sitting city council member, especially on this day. I found it completely ridiculous, insulting and disrespectful. This whole process was discriminatory.”
The city of Summit held a Juneteenth celebration on June 19, a tradition recently adopted by cities across the nation since the day became a federal holiday.
Summit, New Jersey City Councilman Jamel Boyer speaks at the city’s 2024 Juneteenth celebration. (Photo courtesy of City of Summit, New Jersey)
Boyer received the speaking invitation several months before the event and planned to draw attention as the first black man elected to the city council since the city was founded in 1869.
But days before the event, Boyer said his invitation had sparked controversy from some members of the Juneteenth planning committee.
“I’m a Republican. [Black] “Having a Summit City Councilman is not what a certain group of people in Summit wanted. They’re really going to be upset,” Boyer told Fox News Digital.
“So the week of the event, I get calls from the council president and other council people saying, ‘Hey, were you going to speak?’ Of course. I’m like, ‘Well, they don’t want you to speak.’ Who wouldn’t want that? ‘Well, the planning board and planning committee are made up of members of the Interfaith Council and the Anti-Racism Committee,'” Boyer said.
Boyer’s comments to Fox News Digital came after he responded to criticism at a city council meeting on June 24. Summit Common Council Meeting during the public comment session.
“This is a significant event and we believe it is important to address local residents at this event, but we also feel it is important to inform all residents about some troubling events that have occurred leading up to this event,” Boyer said during the meeting.
Jamel Boyer, a Summit, New Jersey city council member, spoke during a public comment session at the city council’s most recent Summit City Council meeting. (YouTube screenshot)
Speaking at the meeting, he explained that his colleagues on City Council and city staff had been informed by the Interfaith Council and the Anti-Racism Committee that they did not want him to speak at the Juneteenth event.
“Their reasoning was … I’m a black Republican and they didn’t think of me as a real black person,” Boyer said at the meeting.
Attendees at Monday’s council meeting laughed in response.
“They didn’t agree with my policy views simply because I’m a Black person with different opinions and political beliefs,” Boyer said. “Yes, I was considered not Black enough by politically motivated groups, most of whom don’t even live in this town.”
June 19th is the day to celebrate ethnic harmony
Juneteenth commemorates the day on June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free after the Civil War. Enslaved African Americans were informed of their freedom two years later, after the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in November 1865. President Biden’s administration.
A Juneteenth flag is displayed on a float during the 45th annual Juneteenth Independence Day celebration in Galveston, Texas, on June 15, 2024. Juneteenth falls on June 19 and is often celebrated on the third Saturday in June to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. (Photo: Mark Felix/AFP) (Photo: Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images)
Boyer suggested the controversy over the speaking invitation undermined the very meaning of Juneteenth.
“me [sic] “It’s black. It’s awful. It’s totally disrespectful,” he told City Council members on Monday. “We can’t be hypocrites. If black people are truly free, they can have different opinions without being told, ‘You’re not black.'”
Boyer stressed to Fox News Digital that critics are saying he doesn’t represent other Black residents of Summit.
“I mean, I grew up in this town. Of course I represent the black people in this town. And by the way, some of the people that I didn’t want to speak to don’t know what you’re talking about. They’re not from this town. So they don’t know. They didn’t go to school here. I went to grade school, middle school and high school here. My wife’s family has been here for 100 years,” he added.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. It just depends on what I represent. And I represent a different idea.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Boyer took issue with the fact that he was originally scheduled to be the only speaker, but other council members were asked to speak as well, but the Rev. Vernon Williams, a member of the Juneteenth planning committee, countered that the committee decided to follow a similar format to last year’s event, but that it was not meant to disparage Boyer.
What is Juneteenth? The History of America’s Oldest Abolitionist Day
The Summit Interfaith Council issued a statement saying Boyer “mistakenly” appointed the council to the Juneteenth planning committee. The Interfaith Council’s president served on the committee but did not represent the Interfaith Council.
According to local sourcesWilliams is a member of the Interfaith Council and its anti-racism committee and attended the Juneteenth planning committee “as a representative of Fountain Baptist Church.”
“Congressman Boyer wants to believe he wasn’t selected because he’s ‘not black enough’ or because he’s a black Republican. No one has ever said that about him, or anyone in Congress. Congressman Boyer’s comments are completely sensationalized and a complete lie,” Williams told TAPinto Summit.
“Prior to June 18, no one on the Committee recalls Rep. Boyer being featured as a speaker during any event. Further, no one on the Committee has ever spoken to Rep. Boyer about speaking.”
The Summit Interreligious Council added that it had no official comment on Boyer’s speaking invitation.
“To be clear, we are not a sponsor of this event, nor do we sit on the planning committee, so there was no vote or discussion.”
Amy Cairns, the city’s chief communications officer, acknowledged to Fox News Digital that Boyer had received criticism after being invited to speak at the event but not specifying who that person was.
Summit, New Jersey City Councilman Jamel Boyer speaks at the city’s 2024 Juneteenth celebration. (Photo courtesy of City of Summit, New Jersey)
Reaction to Boyer’s remarks at Summit City Council meeting, Council President Lisa Allen said Boyer “should have been encouraged to speak out, not inhibited.”
“Going forward, I am committed to ensuring that any celebrations hosted by the City of Summit will be above politics and prioritize inclusion for all,” Allen said.
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Summit Mayor Elizabeth Fagan said she was impressed with Boyer’s “courage.”
“I was deeply moved last night by the way Councilman Jamel Boyer spoke not only about his own personal hurt, but also about the fact that when politics take precedence over integrity and common sense, the entire community loses,” Boyer said. “Apparently, I’m not alone in thinking that. When Boyer finished speaking, the entire chamber erupted in a standing ovation. I firmly believe that the Juneteenth Committee missed a wonderful opportunity to shine the spotlight on Summit’s first elected Black male City Councilman during their Friday night celebration.”
