City Hall
Friday, 6/18, at 1:00 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, 133 William Street.
Last year, Juneteenth was designated an official state holiday in Mass. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, specifically the date that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were finally notified of their emancipation on June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
City offices are closed to the public on Friday, June 18, as New Bedford observes the Juneteenth holiday.
NAACP New Bedford
NAACP New Bedford office, 95 Cedar Street, New Bedford, Sat., 6/19, 12pm-5pm NAACP New Bedford Branch and Collective for Change, supported by a grant from Senator Montigny’s Children’s Equality & Empowerment Fund, join together for a day of community, celebration, and arts. Enjoy local vendors, food trucks, performances, crafts, and more!
For more information contact Livia Fonseca at l.fonseca@ymail.com. Visit https://naacpnewbedford.org/2021/05/2021-juneteenth/
NB Historical Society & Whaling National Hist. Park
WCelebrate Freedom at the Jazz Wall, Abolition Row Park, 20 Seventh Street, New Bedford, 6/19, 2pm – 5pm
The New Bedford Historical Society and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park are celebrating Juneteenth with a day of music, folk tales, arts and crafts. Re-enactors will be on hand to tell the stories of New Bedford residents who fought for an end to enslavement.
Join us at the inaugural concert at the Jazz Mural celebrating the legacy of local musicians during Juneteenth and Black Music Month.
For more information contact Lee Blake at Bonneylee13@verizon.net or 508-979-8828. Visit https://www.facebook.com/NBHistory
BuyBlack New Bedford
Buy Black NB “Black in Business” Pop Up Outdoor Market, Rotch-Jones-Duff House, 396 County St., New Bedford, Sat., 6/19, 11am – 3pm
BuyBlackNB is hosting their very first outdoor event with a hand-selected diverse group of local vendors offering you an opportunity to find your next favorite product! Safely celebrate the summer and enjoy art, food, clothing, children’s entertainment and handmade goods! Music, giveaways, networking, and community building. Children’s activities like a Father’s Day card creating station and glitter tattoos. All the way from Wakanda, Black Panther and Shuri are joining to sign autographs and providing entertainment that is fun for the whole family.
For more information contact Justina Perry at info@buyblacknb.com. Visit https://www.buyblacknb.com/
FREE Shuttle Bus
Between Buy Black NB Event at Rotch-Jones-Duff house and NAACP New Bedford Branch, 6/19, noon–5
12pm – 3pm: Leaves Rotch-Jones-Duff House every fifteen minutes. Buy Black NB Event at Rotch-Jones-Duff House stop located at Madison Street entrance. NAACP New Bedford Branch stop located on Cedar Street.
5pm – 6pm: Leaves NAACP NB Branch every fifteen minutes. Communal Space stop located at the corner of Union St. and Pleasant St..
Download the shuttle map at https://www.dropbox.com/s/5p6a9ahjnvrlm97/shuttlemap.pdf
3rd Eye Unlimited
Your New Bedford, live-streamed on 3rd EyE’s Facebook page and YouTube Channel. June 19, 6pm – 9pm
“Your New Bedford” is a collaboration between 3rd EyE, which uses the five pillars of hip hop to foster young people’s creative capacities, and community partners attuned to the needs and resources of specific neighborhoods or populations. Their partner for the first event is Hatch Street Studios.
For more information contact Keri Cox at info@3rdeyeunlimited.org or 508-992-8546. Visit https://3rdeyeunlimited.org/yournb/yournb-news/
What is Juneteenth?
Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. has written an excellent overview of the history of Juneteenth, first celebrated in 1880 by thirty-one people in Houston’s Fourth Ward. Sometimes “Black Independence Day,” Juneteenth commemorates the belated emancipation of slaves who were freed only two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation — an emancipation denied until federal troops actually liberated the slave state of Texas on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth is now a state holiday in Massachusetts and a contender for a future federal holiday.
Juneteenth has long been celebrated throughout the country, informally and formally, and largely by African-Americans. But as America has slowly acknowledged the diversity of its people, Juneteenth has attracted celebrants from every walk of life — as it should be.
•••
Click here to download the entire 6/17/21 issue: 06-17-21 TurfField_REV
Support local journalism, donate to the Neighb News with PayPal.
