Juneteenth was celebrated on Monday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Arlington's Town Hall Garden (between Robbins Library and Town Hall; enter from Mass. Ave.).

Ponder the freedom and perseverance of African Americans, and reflect on black life and experience with your neighbors.

Enjoy performances by internationally acclaimed jazz artist Jacques Schwarz-Bart, the Arlington High School performing arts students, and members of Arlington Black Joy Project while savoring tasty refreshments and ice cream. 

Presented by Arlington Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division, and the Arlington Commission for Arts & Culture.

This observance will immediately follow a dedication ceremony for a new Monument to Menotomy's Enslaved & Free Persons of Color at 10:30 a.m. in Arlington's Old Burying Ground on Pleasant Street, organized by the Arlington Historical Society, sponsored by the Town of Arlington, and financially supported by the Louise Ruma Ivers Fund of the Arlington Historical Society, with additional funding from Freedom's Way National Heritage Area.

ABOUT JUNETEENTH: Juneteenth commemorates the day when the last group of previously enslaved black people learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended. The day would come to be known as Juneteenth, or “Freedom Day," “Emancipation Day” and “Juneteenth Independence Day.” 

This news announcement was published Thursday, June 15, 2023, based on information from the ACAC newsletter.