M.V. Black and Brown Voices To Host 2nd Annual Juneteenth Event

ANDOVER, MA — Andover's first Juneteenth event, hosted by the then-new group Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices in 2020, will return Saturday for a second year.

The group brought hundreds to Doherty Field in June 2020 for the town's first celebration of the holiday.

The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with federal orders proclaiming all enslaved people in Texas free, nearly three years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The 2nd annual event will return to Doherty Field, at 30 Whittier Court, from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The "Juneteenth Block Party Celebration" will feature live music, vendors, activities and Haitian barbecue.

The group's first Juneteenth celebration, in 2020, came less than a month after Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices formed, amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. It was just their second event, after a protest in North Andover.

Speakers discussed Black history, addressed racist incidents in town and called for protests and action. The event also included protest chants, singing and an open mic period.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.