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Gloucester Daily Times: Juneteenth Sparks Joy in Gloucester

June 19, 2023

GLOUCESTER — It was a day of joy at the third annual Gloucester Juneteenth Festival Sunday.

A crowd of locals and visitors alike gathered outside of City Hall, the Sawyer Free Library and the Cape Ann Museum to watch trapeze artists, listen to poetry, enjoy good food and celebrate the power of community and Black joy that comes with Juneteenth each year.

“You see people here smiling and enjoying this day with their family, their grandparents, and it’s just a true moment to celebrate how far we’ve come together and to reflect on how far we still have to go,” said Gloucester resident Toni Waldron, who started the event and organized Sunday’s festivities.

 Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

Juneteenth sparks joy in Gloucester | News | gloucestertimes.com

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