Celebrating Juneteenth

Explore this page to find resources, events and other opportunities to recognize and celebrate the Juneteenth holiday. Now an official holiday in the state of Massachusetts, this annual event commemorates the June 19, 1865 notification to enslaved people in Texas that slavery had ended two years earlier in the United States. To share additional opportunities email ann@providers.org.

Trainings & Events

Cross-Cultural Communication

June 11 @ 9:30 am – 1:00 pm

$90

Location: Providers’ Council (100 Crossing Blvd. Suite 100, Framingham, MA 01702)

Participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their own cultural values and norms, as well as learn about those of their colleagues. Concepts such as High and Low Context Communication and the LEARN model are presented as tools for improving effective communication across cultural differences. The session includes group discussions about the impacts of personal and organizational culture on work with clients and small group skill practices to apply the tools.

Presented by: Comma Williams, Comma Williams Enterprises

Register here!

Free, Members-Only Quarterly Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Roundtable: Strategies for Diverse Recruitment

Join us in community to share stories and resources on combatting racial and social inequities within the work we do every day through the lens of recruiting.

June 13 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Location: Online via Zoom

Panelists:

– Regina Marshall, Advocates

– Robin McDuffie & Ayla Velez, Charles River Center 

– Walt Andrews, Thrive, Support and Advocacy 

– Eric Nguyen , YW Boston

Register here!

 

Resources

What is your agency doing to celebrate Juneteenth?

  • Giving employees paid time off
  • Honoring Juneteenth in the workplace (e.g. guest speakers, sponsored trainings, events and activities)
  • Participate in local Juneteenth events
  • Create a flexible holiday policy
  • Provide volunteer opportunities for staff
  • Support Black and Brown businesses in your community

Contact ann@providers.org if you would like to add what your agency is doing to this list!

Events Happening

Benkadi Drum and Dance

📍John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

The multicultural Benkadi Drum and Dance group returns to perform new dances showcasing traditional West African rhythms and movements. With vivid costumes, interpretive dance, and audience participation, join us in honor of Juneteenth!

Juneteenth Celebration at Franklin Park

📍Franklin Park

Join us on Saturday, June 15th, 2024 for a Juneteenth Celebration at Franklin Park! Enjoy picnics, barbecues, music, dancing and more at the Shattuck Picnic Grove and all over the park.

Juneteenth Community Day Celebration

📍Museum Of African American History

Join us for a captivating Juneteenth Community Day themed “Freedom, Movement, and Migration” on June 15, 2024! This special day is designed to engage people of all ages in a meaningful celebration of freedom and cultural evolution, commemorating Juneteenth’s significance in the journey toward equality and recognition in American history.

Embrace Ideas Festival

📍Multiple Venues

The Embrace Ideas Festival is a yearly celebration of ideas grounded in arts, culture and public scholarship. This multi-day gathering brings together local, state and national leaders to amplify anti-racism and a vision for a transformed Boston by 2030. Rooted in racial equity, healing, well-being, and joy, the theme of Embrace Ideas 2024, occurring June 18-21, is “Inspiring the Resistance: Building a Culture of Repair for the Origins of our Discontent.”

14th Annual Boston Juneteenth Emancipation Observance

📍Museum Of The National Center Of Afro-American Artists

Celebrate Freedom and Black Joy at the 14th Annual Boston Juneteenth Emancipation Observance.

Join us at the National Center of Afro American Artists for a day full of education, family fun, & more!

Juneteenth at the MFA: Open House

📍Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston

In honor of Juneteenth, the oldest nationally observed commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, admission to the MFA—including access to “Hallyu! The Korean Wave”—is free for all Massachusetts residents on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

Juneteenth Celebration with North Shore Juneteenth

📍Lynn Museum, Lynn, MA

Join us at Lynn Museum and Frederick Douglass Park to celebrate Juneteenth.

Join us on Saturday, June 22nd, 2024 at 11:00 AM for a day filled with joy, music, and community.

Come to Lynn Museum at 590 Washington St.and celebrate this important day in American history with us. Let’s honor and remember Black Americans’ emancipation, strength, and pride.

BAMS Festival

📍Frankin Park

Experience two days of Black joy, including some of the biggest names in music, live DJ sets, food trucks, dance performances, and so much more at the 6th annual BAMS Festival!