SWAMPSCOTT — Hundreds gathered outside Swampscott Town Hall Thursday afternoon for a commemoration of Juneteenth, a federal holiday marking the occasion the final slaves were freed in Texas in 1865.
During the event, local officials and activists spoke of the importance of commemorating Juneteenth, which became a national holiday in 2021.
“We haven’t always been equal and we haven’t always been free, it’s important for us to think critically about why that was and what obligations we have to this and future generations to keep faith with freedom and equality,” said Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald.
Adriana Paz, the vice president of North Shore Juneteenth Association Inc., said activists pushed for years to cement Juneteenth’s status and that being at an event like the one held Thursday afternoon was “exciting.”
“The acknowledgement of Juneteenth as a federal holiday was a long fought battle, the fight did not begin last year. The national Juneteenth observance foundation has been pushing for this to happen for years,” Paz said. “We are extremely excited to see the fruit of that labor and rejoice because dismissing the work and the people that did the work to make this happen, would be shameful.”
Cheers erupted from the crowd during a pause in Paz’s speech, which she concluded by reminding the crowd that the fight to end systemic racism is far from over.
“Remember there’s still work to be done to end systemic racism and to change hearts and minds about what Black Americans represent in the United States,” said Paz.
Rev. Dr. Andre Bennett, the pastor of youth and young adults at Zion Baptist Church in Lynn, delivered a powerfully poetic speech about the injustices he still faces as a Black man.
“If you look like me — a Black man, you are still fighting for the right just to be seen not as a Black man but just as a human being. If you sound like me with an accent you are still fighting for the right just to exist,” said Bennett.
In Bennett’s speech he spoke about the importance and greatness of equality with a metaphor that was felt by the entire crowd.
“We don’t want better schools, we want equal schools and again it means the very same thing as equal housing means equal opportunity,” said Bennett.
Bennett said that the most powerful thing to him is when a young person comes up to him and says that they like his speech.
“It means that something I said was heard by them,” said Bennett.
To close out the ceremony, The Black National Anthem was sung while the Juneteenth flag was raised on the flagpole in-front of Town Hall, alongside inclusive Pride flags.
Non-profit organizations and Black-owned businesses from across the region were present at the event Thursday.
Angela Owens, a professional body artist, painted kids’ faces, and North Shore Alliance of GLBTQ+ Youth showed their support by passing out stickers and flags. NAGLY recognizes the systemic racism not only in the Black community but the queer community, and especially the systemic racism faced by those who are Black and queer. Their mission is to honor, respect, educate, and empower LGBTQ youth.
“Systemic inequality is an ongoing thing, so we must show up everyday, not just today and not just on Juneteenth,” said NAGLY Adult Advisor Barakah Winter.
Magella Cantara can be reached at [email protected].
