Framingham Juneteenth Event Will Focus On Tulsa Massacre

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Several local institutions are hosting a Juneteenth event this week that will focus on historical events involving Black people that have, until recently, gone mostly unrecognized.

Massachusetts will recognize Juneteenth for the first time in 2021 as a state holiday due to a law cosponsored by Framingham state Rep. Maria Robinson. The measure was added to a COVID-19 spending bill signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last July.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers told slaves located near Galveston, Texas, that they were free. That first Juneteenth came two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation because the Union Army did not reach Texas until 1865.

In 2021, the official Juneteenth holiday will fall on June 19.

In Framingham, the Greater Framingham Community Church, Framingham State University and MassBay Community College are collaborating on an event that will highlight the history of Juneteenth and the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.

"The event will include a panel discussion and reflection about the stories omitted from our history and education, the impact of knowing the stories of Juneteenth and the Tulsa Massacre, and steps we can take today to dismantle systemic racism," an event announcement says.

The Tulsa massacre, where a group of white residents invaded and destroyed a Black neighborhood, leaving hundreds dead, is one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history. Its absence from mainstream history education resurfaced recently when the massacre was depicted in the recent HBO series "Watchmen."

Framingham's Juneteenth event will be held virtually on Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. and is open to anyone who wants to attend. Register to attend here.