BOSTON (WHDH) - The nation celebrated Juneteenth Wednesday with ceremonies commemorating the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people found out that they were free after the end of the Civil War.
In Boston, the Juneteenth flag was raised at the State House, officially marking that day, two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Gov. Maura Healey spoke at the flag raising, recognizing black leaders of the past and today.
“Mel King, Sarah Ann Shaw,” Healey said. “We think about Bill Russell and new leaders who are emerging, including Jaylen Brown. So, there’s a lot to celebrate.”
The state house event took place across the street from the memorial to the 54th Massachusetts regiment, which was one of the first regiments of Black soldiers fighting for the Union in the Civil War.
Representative Bud Williams, who chairs the state legislature’s Black and Latino caucus, said Juneteenth is a time to remember the history of enslaved Americans and to commit to making their descendants’ lives better.
“We party, we have picnics and cookouts and we tell our young people, ‘This is the history,” Williams said. “So, I would like to do more of that in the community.”
In 2021, Congress passed legislation making June 19 a federal holiday. President Joe Biden later signed the bill into law.
Boston community members and city officials gathered to celebrate an early flag-raising for Juneteenth on City Hall Plaza Monday afternoon.
In Massachusetts there are many different ways to celebrate.
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is offering free admission. The Harambee Learning and Cultural Center will hold a celebration in Brockton with keynote speakers, music, and entertainment. And the Concord Museum is holding a Juneteenth family program with traditional West African performances.
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