Description

Thursday, June 19, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Gloucester City Hall
9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930
Free and Open to the Public.

Join the Cape Ann Museum at Gloucester City Hall to celebrate Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. 

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Flag raising with comments from city officials and CAM staff outside City Hall. 

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Community reading of Frederick Douglass’s What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Following the reading, educator, Project Scholar for the Freeman Family Project, and Gloucester Juneteenth founder Toni Waldron will lead breakout groups for community members to discuss the speech and their experience reading it. Kyrouz Auditorium, Gloucester City Hall 

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Interactive program in the City Hall parking lot guided by Toni Waldron on the history of the Freeman family, a prominent Black family living in Gloucester in the 18th and 19th centuries. A table organized and staffed by the Bookstore of Gloucester and Dogtown Books will distribute books that center diverse voices, including those written by BIPOC authors, to visitors thanks to the generosity of Action, Inc. Plus, family art activities led by the CAM Teen Council and free scoops of red velvet ice cream provided by Holy Cow Ice Cream!”

We hope that you can join us for this community gathering to reflect on important history and the work that still needs to be done. 

Funding for this program has been provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council through Mass Humanities. Additional sponsors: Action, Inc., Discover Gloucester and Holy Cow Ice Cream.