THE CITY OF MELROSE’S 2021 Juneteenth Celebration included, front row, Zion Baptist Church Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, and back row, from left, Black National Anthem singer Martina Campbell and Mayor Paul Brodeur. (Courtesy Photo)

 

MELROSE — In collaboration with the North Shore Juneteenth Association (NSJA), the city of Melrose will host its second annual Juneteenth flag raising ceremony outside the Melrose Public Library, 69 West Emerson St., on Monday, June 20 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Melrose City Hall, the Melrose Public Library, Milano Center and City Yard will be closed on Monday, June 20 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

During the event, there will be a live performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the Black national anthem, remarks from NSJA speakers, Mayor Paul Brodeur, State Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian and State Sen. Jason Lewis. Brodeur encourages everyone to participate in Melrose’s local event or start a tradition of their own.

“I’m thankful to continue our partnership with North Shore Juneteenth Association — by keeping up with this new tradition, we hope to bring more understanding of and appreciation for the significance of this holiday,” said Brodeur. “The city of Melrose observes Juneteenth to recognize the journey and achievement of African Americans, and to affirm proudly that in our city, the lives of Black residents matter. I invite all residents to celebrate and reflect on this date’s historic meaning.”

About Juneteenth

Despite Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation taking effect on Jan. 1, 1863, hundreds of thousands of Black people continued to be enslaved in the United States. It was not until Union soldiers delivered the news of the abolition of slavery in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, that the last group of enslaved Black people in the United States was freed. The following year, on June 19, 1866, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas.