Freedom Day: Where you can celebrate Juneteenth this year around New England

Hadley Barndollar, USA TODAY NETWORK
·6 min read

Barbecue tongs and dancing feet are getting ready for this year's Juneteenth celebrations, when the Black community will observe the official end of slavery with picnics, festivals and other spirited events.

An Independence Day for Black people in the U.S., Juneteenth is celebrated annually on June 19. Because this year it falls on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed publicly Monday, June 20. The entire weekend will see festivities across New England and the nation.

It also happens to be Father's Day this year. Many event organizers are combining the historical holiday with honoring fatherhood, particularly Black fathers.

Kiana Woodson of Community Vibes Framingham serves food to visitors during a Juneteenth celebration in Framingham, Massachusetts, June 19, 2021.
Kiana Woodson of Community Vibes Framingham serves food to visitors during a Juneteenth celebration in Framingham, Massachusetts, June 19, 2021.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is a day embodying freedom and independence for the Black community in the United States, marking the effective end of slavery on June 19, 1865.

Though President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had officially outlawed slavery nearly two-and-a-half years earlier, word did not reach the enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, until federal troops arrived there in 1865 to tell them about their freedom and announce the end of the Civil War.

"Dance of the Ancestors: Ritual, Chants, Drumming, and Movement" was held at the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on June 19, 2021, in celebration of Juneteenth.
"Dance of the Ancestors: Ritual, Chants, Drumming, and Movement" was held at the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on June 19, 2021, in celebration of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is deeply rooted in tradition and considered the longest-running African American holiday. Last year, President Joe Biden signed a law recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day. Prior to that, Juneteenth was recognized as a state or ceremonial holiday in 47 states.

Juneteenth's history explained by African American Civil War Museum director

Events are scheduled to take place all over New England on June 19 and in the days leading up to it. Here's a list of events to attend to celebrate Black joy and community, while also recognizing the gruesome history of U.S. enslavement.

Massachusetts Juneteenth events

Brockton

Brockton's Greg Fernandes leads a drum circle from the Champion High School during the Juneteenth event organized by the Harambee Learning and Cultural Center at Brockton, Massachusetts City Hall on June 19, 2021.
Brockton's Greg Fernandes leads a drum circle from the Champion High School during the Juneteenth event organized by the Harambee Learning and Cultural Center at Brockton, Massachusetts City Hall on June 19, 2021.

Newton

Cambridge

'Free-ish': America still trying to figure out how to frame journey of descendants of its enslaved

Boston

  • Juneteenth Boston June 17-19. March to freedom from Melnea Cass Boulevard to Nubian Square, family beach day in Dorchester, "Royalty Gala" in Nubian Square.

  • Museum of Fine Arts Juneteenth Open House June 20. Free for all Massachusetts residents. Art making; discussion, collaborative art symposium and performance; and "spotlight talks" focused on "Touching Roots: Black Ancestral Legacies in the Americas," a new exhibition that traces narratives of Blackness across the Atlantic world.

People create signs and artwork during a past Juneteenth rally in Boston.
People create signs and artwork during a past Juneteenth rally in Boston.
The Red Cross is holding Juneteenth Weekend blood drives in Massachusetts specifically looking for Black donors.
The Red Cross is holding Juneteenth Weekend blood drives in Massachusetts specifically looking for Black donors.

Quincy

Worcester

Juneteenth: Freedom Day — marked in Worcester County

The dance troupe Seven Hills Stomp Soldiers perform during the Juneteenth Festival at Institute Park in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2017.
The dance troupe Seven Hills Stomp Soldiers perform during the Juneteenth Festival at Institute Park in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2017.

New Bedford

The Rotch-Jones-Duff-House hosted the BuyBlackNB Pop-Up Event on Juneteenth in New Bedford.
The Rotch-Jones-Duff-House hosted the BuyBlackNB Pop-Up Event on Juneteenth in New Bedford.

Somerville

  • Juneteenth networking celebration hosted by American Association of Blacks in Energy Boston chapter and Greentown Labs on Friday, June 17 at 444 Somerville Avenue. Networking, games and Black-owned spirits, wines and locally brewed beers.

Brookline

More than 150 people marched down Harvard Street for Brookline, Massachusetts' first annual Juneteenth celebration.
More than 150 people marched down Harvard Street for Brookline, Massachusetts' first annual Juneteenth celebration.

Framingham

Barnstable

  • Juneteenth story time on Sunday, June 19 at Whelden Memorial Library. A library lawn event with a historical picture book reading and food.

Beverly

  • JUNEteenth JAMboree on Saturday, June 19 at Chianti Restaurant. Soul food buffet and live music.

Falmouth

  • Juneteenth freedom walk with the Woods Hole Diversity Advisory Committee at Highfield Hall and Gardens on Sunday, June 19. Walking paths and light refreshments.

Hingham

Marblehead

Damilola Graciella Olabisi, a sixth grader at the Village School in Marblehead, Massachusetts, recites a poem she wrote at Abbott Hall in Marblehead on June 18, 2021, to celebrate Juneteenth.
Damilola Graciella Olabisi, a sixth grader at the Village School in Marblehead, Massachusetts, recites a poem she wrote at Abbott Hall in Marblehead on June 18, 2021, to celebrate Juneteenth.

Martha's Vineyard

Fall River

  • Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 18 at Kennedy Pavilion Park. Food, vendors, prizes, live concert.

Rhode Island Juneteenth events

Providence

  • Juneteenth RI Festival on Sunday, June 19 at Roger Williams Park. Live music, food, family fun, fireworks.

  • Juneteenth Block Party on Saturday, June 18 at Kin Southern Table and Bar. Live music, street games, photo booth, movies, food and drinks.

2021: An extra-joyous Juneteenth festival in Providence

The Buchanan family, of Providence, enjoys the Juneteenth entertainment.
The Buchanan family, of Providence, enjoys the Juneteenth entertainment.

Bristol

  • Juneteenth Beach Day on Sunday, June 19 at Bristol Town Beach. Community fundraising event with games, food and drinks.

Takina Lee, foreground, and Michelle Aubourg dance at the 2019 Juneteenth celebration at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.
Takina Lee, foreground, and Michelle Aubourg dance at the 2019 Juneteenth celebration at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.

New Hampshire Juneteenth events

Portsmouth

In New Hampshire: Juneteenth celebrations expanding this year

A member of the Akwaaba Ensemble sends some love to the crowd at the Portsmouth African Burying Ground during a Juneteenth ceremony on June 19, 2021.
A member of the Akwaaba Ensemble sends some love to the crowd at the Portsmouth African Burying Ground during a Juneteenth ceremony on June 19, 2021.

Dover

  • Juneteenth flag raising on Friday, June 17 at 8 a.m. at Dover City Hall

Manchester

Vermont Juneteenth events

Burlington

Greensboro

Winooski 

Maine Juneteenth events

Kittery

  • Juneteenth Walk on Sunday, June 19 from Kittery, Maine, across the bridge to African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, NH. Jazz band and church-style ceremony.

  • Juneteenth concert on Sunday, June 19 at John Paul Jones Park. Band, local historian and West African dance and drum performance.

In Norwich, Connecticut, Sharlyne Naubert, NAACP Roberstine Duncan Youth Council president, center, Anthony Holland NAACP Norwich Branch vice president, left, and Norwich Police officer Ryan O'Connell raise the Juneteenth Day flag at the 32nd annual Juneteenth Commemoration Ceremony in 2021. [John Shishmanian/ NorwichBulletin.com]
In Norwich, Connecticut, Sharlyne Naubert, NAACP Roberstine Duncan Youth Council president, center, Anthony Holland NAACP Norwich Branch vice president, left, and Norwich Police officer Ryan O'Connell raise the Juneteenth Day flag at the 32nd annual Juneteenth Commemoration Ceremony in 2021. [John Shishmanian/ NorwichBulletin.com]

Connecticut Juneteenth events

More: Black leaders who shaped Norwich, CT

Did you know?: Norwich was the first Juneteenth celebration in Connecticut

Norwich

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