Celebrating freedom: Parades, festivals, galas, concerts to mark Juneteenth in Connecticut
In 2022, for the first time, Juneteenth is both a federal and state holiday in Connecticut. The annual commemoration marks the day on June 19, 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally were told that they were free, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Adrienne Billings Smith, founder of Concerned Parents of Color in West Hartford, helped push her town to recognize Juneteenth, starting with commemorations in 2020. She helped organize this year’s event in that town, too.
“Juneteenth is not only Texas history. It’s American history,” Billings Smith said. “Every time we talk about Juneteenth, the Tulsa Massacre, we are learning a little piece of American history. That knowledge benefits us not only today, but for generations to come behind us. We are getting the full breadth of what American history is, the good, the bad and the ugly.”
State and federal recognition, she said, boost the importance of that knowledge.
“We have July 4, Veteran’s Day, all of these things to recognize things that are truly important. Now Juneteenth. That is huge. It recognizes a group of folks, ancestors, who have a place in the history books,” she said. “Plenty of things came after all of that, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, but Juneteenth tells us that nobody is free until everyone is free. It was a point where we were able to move on a little more as a nation.”
She said many adults she knows didn’t learn about Juneteenth until they were in college. She added that state and federal recognition will get that knowledge out earlier. “We didn’t know until our adult years about something our children already know,” she said.
On May 4, on the day the state legislature voted to make Juneteenth a state holiday, Rep. Trenee McGee, a West Haven Democrat, said “In 1865, they didn’t know they were free. But today we know they are free. ... To be free is to be fearless.’’
Connecticut communities and organizations are celebrating the holiday with festivals, parades, parties, films, concerts, speeches and other events. Here is a list. It is not all inclusive. Visit websites for updates.
Through June 30
Juneteenth, an art exhibit, will be up until June 30 at Noah Webster Library, 20 South Main St. facebook.com/westhartfordlibrary.
June 9 to 12
Bijou Theatre, 275 Fairfield Ave. in Bridgeport, has a Juneteenth series of shows from June 9 to 12. On June 9 at 6 p.m. is a kids’ show, “Welcome to Puppet Village: Peace Week,” with Iya Ibo Mandingo. On June 10 at 8 p.m. is the Oscar-winning documentary “Summer of Soul,” preceded by a 7 p.m. performance by Tra’Nisha B. Both of those events are free. On June 11 at 8 p.m. is a concert by Joby Rogers, a Michael Jackson tribute performer. $27 to $42. On June 12 at noon is a soul food brunch provided by Queen’s Delight Cafe followed at 1 p.m. by a screening of “Homecoming,” a documentary about Black farmers. $5, registration required. bijoutheatrect.spacecrafted.com.
June 10 and 11
Hempsted Houses, 11 Hempsted St. in New London — the historic houses where enslaved people lived in the 18th and 19th centuries — will have a two-day Juneteenth commemoration. On June 10 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. will be a screening of “The Slave Narrative of Willie Moe,” followed by a community conversation. On June 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will be a Juneteenth Festival with keynote speech by activist-filmmaker Ife Franklin and MCing by Curtis Goodwin. Live performances, petting zoo, obstacle course, food trucks. facebook.com/HempstedHouses.
June 11
“Behind the Scenes Tour: Black History at CHS” is offered at Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth St. in Hartford, on June 11 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. View artifacts about Ann Petry of Old Saybrook, author of the groundbreaking novel “The Street”; Augustus Washington, a Hartford photographer who moved to Liberia; the Civil Rights movement; and the present-day Hartford West Indian community. $15, $10 members. chs.org/do-learn/upcoming-events.
The 30th annual Juneteenth Parade of Fairfield County and Harambee Festival will be June 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. Parade grand marshal is Dr. Camelia Lawrence. Live entertainment by the City Shout Steel Pan Orchestra. Dozens of Black-owned businesses will have vendors on site. Arts and crafts, author presentations, food trucks, karate demo, farmers market, COVID-19 vaccines and screenings. facebook.com/events/1035539290401852.
Juneteenth Community Day will be June 11 from noon to 4 p.m. at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St. in Hartford. Live music from Lost Tribe, craft projects, African drumming with Alvin Carter Jr., storytelling by Andre Keitt and Anne Cubberly’s giant puppets. Free. thewadsworth.org/visit/events.
“Jubilee: The Official Juneteenth Block Party Celebration,” presented by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., will be June 11 from 5 to 10 p.m. at The Russell Jamaican restaurant, 187 Allyn St. in Hartford. African or Ankara summer attire required. Live music by G Nice A Family Affair, 8 Ball Muzik and DJ Handsome J. $45, $50 with after-party, VIP tables available. Black-owned businesses will have vendors on site. jubilee-2022.eventbrite.com.
June 15
“The Ties that Bind,” a community dialogue about the Black diaspora’s shared history and future in Greater Hartford, will be June 15 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Artists Collective, 1200 Albany Ave. in Hartford. The event is being held in honor of Juneteenth and Caribbean American Heritage Month. Opening remarks by Suzette DeBeatham-Brown and dialogue facilitated by Femi Bogle-Assegai. Free. eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-week-the-ties-that-bind-tickets-354616586757?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
June 16
Dexter’s Lab and Jedda Williams will perform a free outdoor concert on June 16 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the lawn of Connecticut Historical Society, 1 Elizabeth St. in Hartford. Part of Juneteenth celebration with vendors on-site. Visitors can bring picnics or buy from food truck. The concert will be livestreamed on YouTube. chs.org/event/dexterslab.
June 17
Some of the authors of the kids’ book series UmoJamz — Rayna Walters, Kurt Zimmerman and Garrett Griffin Jr. — will do a reading and book signing from “The Umo Jamz Juneteenth” on June 17 from 10:30 a.m. at Middletown Farmers Market at Union Green, at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets. Also a Juneteenth storytime will be presented by Mx Chalk. Free, register at cthumanities.org/upcoming-juneteenth-programs-for-families-from-book-voyagers.
We The People Willimantic will present Freedom Juneteenth on June 17 at 5 p.m. at Jillson Square Park. Guests are invited to bring drums. facebook.com/events/777432403665400.
June 18
A Juneteenth Celebration will be June 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the historic Peters House at Burnt Hill Park, 150 East St. in Hebron. History presentations, games, crafts, story walk, interactive drumming, allyship tutorials. Music by Evae Peart, Nia Arts, Hartford’s Proud Drill, Drum & Dance Corp. and Nekita Waller. From 2 to 4 p.m., kids ages 6 and older can participate in an archaeological dig. facebook.com/goshopblack.
East Hartford’s Juneteenth Celebration will be June 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the town green, 1074 Main St., Vendors, food trucks, entertainers, bounce house, face painting, storytelling. facebook.com/events/297105752585529
New Britain Museum of American Art, 56 Lexington St., will host a Juneteenth Community Day on June 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adrian Elliott is the host. Performances by New Britain High School drumline and jazz band, Jenee Shree, Belle & the Sons, Grace Poetic Souldier, Aaron St. Louis, Michael “The Chief” Peterson, Goddess, FriendZWorldMusic. Art activities, scavenger hunts, Black-owned vendors including Jodi Cup of Health, Dripavellis, 2Gurlz and INI Sips. Food vendors. Visits to the new exhibit “30 Americans.” Free. nbmaa.org/events/juneteenth-2022.
“Legacies of Freedom: A Juneteenth Celebration” will be June 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. at New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St., presented by Students for Educational Justice and the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective. Includes a panel on the importance of BIPOC history in schools, student art, performances, arts and crafts, refreshments. Free. eventbrite.com/e/legacies-of-freedom-a-juneteenth-celebration-tickets-355192037947?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
A jazz and poetry Juneteenth event will be June 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St. in Old Lyme. Free, bring lawn chairs. Music by the Nat Reeves Jazz Quartet and readings by the Witness Stones Poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward and Antoinette Brim-Bell. Visit Witness Stones along Lyme Street, which mark former sites of enslavement and indentured servitude. florencegriswoldmuseum.org/calendar/category/adult-programs/day/2022-06-18/
“Oh, Freedom,” a two-hour program of storytelling and folklore by Andre Keitt, music by Elizabeth Lyra Ross and performances by Tammy Denease, will be June 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. at First Church 1652, 75 Main St. in Farmington. Presented by Farmington Historical Society. $15. facebook.com/events/783074209325512.
“Juneteenth 2022″ will be June 18 from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Berkins on Main inside Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main St. in Hartford. The event is the inaugural fundraiser for the Berkins Family Fund, which supports nonprofits started by people of color. Dinner and dancing. Mistress of ceremonies is Leslie Mayes of NBC30. Performances by Zyiasia Knighton of “So You Think You Can Dance” and DJ O.P. Juneteenth-inspired cuisine by Chef Quenten. $100, $150 early access. Sponsorships available. eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-2022-berkins-family-fund-inaugural-event-tickets-348035101357?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
June 18 and 19
The towns of Bloomfield and Windsor will get together for a two-day “Juneteenth! Celebrate Freedom!” festival on June 18 and 19. A parade is June 18 at 11 a.m., starting at First Cathedral, 1151 Blue Hills Ave. in Bloomfield and ending at Blue Hills Fire Department, 1021 Blue Hills Ave. Free hot dogs and hamburgers after the parade. A “Feel the Music, Change the World” concert with Alika Hope and The Ray of Hope Project is June 18 from 1 to 2 p.m. outside Bloomfield Public Library’s McMahon-Wintonbury branch, 1015 Blue Hills Ave. Free, with free ice cream for those who have a library card. A community cookout, hosted by Blue Hills Fire District and town council member Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, will be June 19 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Blue Hills Fire Department. Live entertainment, music, kids’ activities, food truck. bluehillsfire.org. bplct.org.
June 19
A Juneteenth Festival on the Enfield Town Green, hosted by the Ujima African American Alliance, will be June 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Frederick Douglass Knowles II, the poet laureate of Hartford, will speak. Music will be performed. Vendors and food trucks. facebook.com/events/665063297914093.
West Hartford Community Juneteenth Celebration will be June 19 at noon at Blue Back Square from noon to 4 p.m. Master of ceremonies is Wendell Edwards of WFSB. Performances by DJ B-EZ, University of Hartford choir, Alvin Carter Jr., FriendZ World Music, Kayla Resznisky, West End Wiz Bangerz and Nekita Waller. Proclamation by Mayor Shari Cantor, Witness Stones Project installation, guest preacher Rev. Fredd L. Ward III, and keynote speeches by state Reps. Stephanie Thomas and Tammy Exum. Vendors will be on site. Free commemorative bags. facebook.com/WHJuneteenthCelebration.
City of Hartford’s 2nd annual Juneteenth Celebration will be June 19 from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Black Lives Matter street mural in Bushnell Park. Presented by the city, in collaboration with Amistad Center for Art & Culture. Performances, art show, family painting, giveaways, food trucks and vendors. facebook.com/events/712030319992300
Juneteenth Freedom Day will be June 19 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville Ave., in collaboration with Discovering Amistad. At 3 p.m. will be a Djembe drum call and other musical performances. At 3:30 p.m. a panel discussion, “Juneteenth: Exploring the Legacy of Slavery,” features Troy Brown, Dr. Lucinda Canty, Dr. Kendrick Roundtree and Fionnuala Darby-Hudgens. At 4:45 p.m. is a Harambee ceremony. From 5 to 7 p.m., tours will be offered of the replica of the schooner Amistad, with historical lessons about the shipboard rebellion and the captives’ Supreme Court victory. A concert by Cape Verdean musicians ends the day. Food trucks, art activities, African craft vendors. Free. mysticseaport.org/calendar.
June 25
Juneteenth at Hill-Stead will be June 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hill-Stead Museum, 35 Mountain Road in Farmington. Work by Black artists will be on exhibit, local Black-owned businesses will sell their products, food, music, kids’ activities. A demonstratin of double-dutch jump rope and a performance by Mixed Company (Michael Carabello, Conway Campbell, Jr., Akin Hobson and Taylor McCoy), Alvin Carter Jr. and Khaiim the RapOet. Free, pre-register at hillstead.org/event/juneteenth.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.
