Town Of Wakefield: Join The Juneteenth Commemoration At Civic Center On June 14

Press release from the Town of Wakefield:

June 13, 2021 - 11:47am

Join the Wakefield Human Rights Commission at the Americal Civic Center as Wakefield commemorates and celebrates Juneteenth. The event will take place on June 14, 2021, at 6 p.m. We are pleased to welcome the Lynn English High School ROTC who will raise the Juneteenth flag.

Event speakers include Town Council Chair Julie Smith-Galvin, School Committee Chair Suzy Veilleux, North Shore Juneteenth Association (NSJA) representative Nicole Jacob, and community member Tarae Howell. The evening will also feature a reading from poet Michelle La Poetica as well as a performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by vocalist Janey David.

On July 24, 2020, Governor Baker signed a bill recognizing June 19 as an annual state holiday in Massachusetts. As noted in M.G.L. Chapter 6, Section 15BBBBB, “The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart the nineteenth of June as Juneteenth Independence Day, to be observed on the Sunday that is closest to June 19th of each year, in recognition of June 19, 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger announced freedom for all slaves in the Southwestern United States and in recognition of the end of slavery in the United States as well as the significant contributions individuals of African descent have made to the Commonwealth and to the United States and recommending that said day be observed in an appropriate manner by the people.”

Town Hall will be closed on Friday, June 18. The trash and recycling schedule will not be impacted.

This press release was produced by the Town of Wakefield.The views expressed here are the author’s own.