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Juneteenth celebrated at Brookline block party, "something very beautiful "
Across the nation, many people spent the day celebrating Juneteenth, which commemorates the official end of slavery in the U.S. In Massachusetts, there were multiple events on Thursday.
In Roxbury, people paraded in the streets, and on Beacon Hill, tourists walked the iconic Freedom Trail.
"Highlighting this history"
"We're really highlighting this community, highlighting this history because I think it gets overshadowed by the other revolution, which is the American Revolution in Boston," said David Coviello, the Occupation Director of Hub Town Tours.
In Brookline, people celebrated the holiday by enjoying a free block party filled with food, games, and a mechanical bull at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School.
Chandra Craven was one of those in attendance. "This is the day where America can really say for truth that this is when we were truly free," she said.
On June 19, 1865, enslaved African American people in Galveston, Texas, received the news that they were free, two years after Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
"It wasn't 100%," Craven emphasized. "But it is closer to the ideals of our Declaration of Independence, it's closer to the ideals of the Constitution that we all live by."
Federal holiday
Craven says she's always celebrated Black culture, even before Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
Tanya Boyd remembers a time when it wasn't recognized at all. "Growing up, we never got Juneteenth celebrated," she said. "We never got the day off work or anything like that. So, I'm glad that it's become known nationwide as an actual holiday."
"I'll be honest, I didn't know it was a holiday until maybe five or six years ago, and I taught American history," Coviello admitted.
That's exactly why Adena Walker says she created the annual block party, which supports Black businesses, Black artistry, and advocacy.
"It is something very beautiful that I get to bring back to the city and like I always knew existed," Walker said. "To show other people that we are here, we are very present. There are so many various communities to be a part of, and shine, and bring that authenticity."
