PEABODY — Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. has announced that City Hall and other municipal offices will be closed on Friday in recognition of Juneteenth.
The city will also host a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony at City Hall on Thursday at 3 p.m. All residents are welcome to attend.
“Juneteenth is a day to celebrate the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States,” said Bettencourt. “It is also an opportunity for our community to become more aware of the significance of this celebration in African-American history and to honor the great contributions of African Americans to our city, state and our nation.”
Juneteenth is an annual celebration marking the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday commemorates a specific date — June 19, 1865 — as the day many enslaved people in Texas learned they had been emancipated by federal order. Juneteenth is also known as Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Juneteenth Independence Day and Juneteenth National Freedom Day.
In July 2020, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill into law designating Juneteenth as an annual state holiday in Massachusetts, thereby making 2021 the first year Juneteenth will be officially observed statewide.
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
