Massachusetts observed the Juneteenth holiday today.
More than 100 people gathered Monday afternoon in front of Springfield City Hall to celebrate the holiday with elected officials, guest speakers, members of several Black community groups, Civil War reenactors, and the raising of the Juneteenth flag.
Mayor Domenic Sarno read a proclamation declaring it “Juneteenth Day” in the city.
“I just want to thank everybody for being here, coming together (in) the beautiful mosaic of the city of Springfield,” Sarno said.
Juneteenth, sometimes called second Independence Day and Emancipation Day, marks the day in 1865 when Union Soldiers rode into Galveston, Texas and let the last enslaved African Americans know they had been freed.
It is especially important in these current times to remember and accurately recount Black history, said State Rep. Bud Williams of Springfield, chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, the hosts for the event.
“There is a mood and a movement in this country to eliminate history, to erase Black people and brown people from the history books,” Williams said.
There were a couple of surprise speakers. Retired state legislator and Springfield Civil Rights icon Ben Swan, 89, made a rare public appearance.
“It’s a great day and I am here today and glad to be with you and among you,” Swan said. “This is an amazing event.”
And, State Senator Adam Gomez of Springfield made his first appearance in public since receiving a life-saving kidney transplant last month.
“If it wasn’t for the Civil Rights movement if it wasn’t for the Black community, a lot of other movements would not have been birthed and people like myself and other individuals who have broken the ceiling would have never been here and been able to serve,” Gomez said.
After the speeches and flag-raising, the crowd walked next door to Springfield Symphony Hall for a free concert that included vocalist Vanessa Ford.
A few hours before the observance in Springfield, there was a ceremony that included a flag raising in front of the State House in Boston.
Governor Maura Healey posted a video to Twitter in which she said Juneteenth is a day for celebration but also for action.
“It is also a reminder that freedom has been denied and delayed for far too long for Black Americans,” Healey said. “Our work to right centuries of wrong is far from over especially as some try to reverse hard-won progress. But, we can’t give up ground.”
Juneteenth became a holiday in Massachusetts in 2020. This is the second year it is a federal holiday.
Black people have been celebrating and observing Juneteenth for generations.
In Springfield, the Juneteenth Jubilee Committee hosted a family fun day Saturday at the Dunbar Community Center and a Father’s Day brunch on Sunday. The Brethren Community Foundation held its 16th annual Juneteenth celebration at Blunt Park.
A Juneteenth celebration with games, music, and food from Black vendors was held Monday afternoon at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke,
