LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield 250th Celebration Committee met Tuesday night to discuss updates on plans, as well as speaking with Lynnfield for Love on how Juneteenth can be incorporated into the three-day event spanning from June 19 to 21.
Sadaf Weisenfeld was there to speak on behalf of Lynnfield for Love.
“We felt that it would be the perfect opportunity to commemorate June 19th… We’ve been talking briefly about some ideas on how to incorporate that in the spirit of the celebration of this event,” Weisenfeld said.
The group has been given a 10- to 20-minute time slot on Friday to participate in the day’s events.
“We were thinking of writing an acknowledgement, not a proclamation, (and) maybe the reading of some uplifting poems that are relevant to Juneteenth. And I thought that it might be a good opportunity to open it up to the public and ask for volunteers to read those,” she said.
Committee Co-Chair Joe Connell noted that the idea sounded great. He also mentioned that on Saturday, there will be tables set up during the craft fair, including ones for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all day, and that Lynnfield for Love could set up a table and pass out information about Juneteenth at that time.
Connell also stated that he had no ill intent when booking the celebration for that day, believing the town would have a flag-raising on Thursday to recognize Juneteenth, and that he wanted to make sure the day was highlighted.
“It sounds great, and we’re here in the spirit of collaboration. I appreciate you saying that. There’s no ill will at all,” Weisenfeld said.
Weisenfeld plans to write something up, along with poems, to send to Connell to get feedback.
Co-Chair Kirk Mansfield also noted that “I think this is such an opportunity for education because there are still so many people out there that do not understand what Juneteenth is, and they do not understand the history behind it. And this is just a great opportunity for your organization to get up there and really try and educate people so everybody understands the importance of this day.”
Connell again apologized, stating he felt bad for what had happened.
“When I called the state 250th committee, and I asked them what I should do… They’re the ones who kind of send this information. I made a slide ‘why we celebrate 4th of July and why we should celebrate Juneteenth.’… Right now we’re learning things that we need to do better,” he said.
Weisenfeld thanked Connell and agreed that this highlights the need for education.
