Don’t Miss the HUC’s Fourth Annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration

May 31, 2024 By Laurie Asmus for Hingham Unity Council

The Hingham Unity Council (HUC) and our community partners are excited to announce the fourth annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. All are welcome to meet us at the bandstand at Hingham Harbor to enjoy live music, engaging activities, offerings from artisan vendors, craft beer, and good food at this free community event. Once again this year, one hundred percent of our event vendors (music, activities, food, beer, etc) are BIPOC-owned.

A fun line-up awaits!

Activities start at 3:00 followed by presentations at 4:00 followed by live music by disco and funk band Booty Vortex
until 6:00.

For kids:

• Bounce obstacle course and bounce house
• Face painting
• Balloon art by A Dawning Experience
• Relay races presented by Duxbury For All
• Sensory station presented by Abington ASPIREand First Parish of Norwell

For everyone:

• Interfaith blessings and presentation about the historical and cultural significance of this celebration.
• Artisan market featuring offerings by BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) vendors
• Tunes spun by DJ Jeff 2X
• African drum and dance performance by Moussa Traore
• Black National Anthem performed by Lovely Hoffman
• Presentation of the winners of the Juneteenth Student Arts Expression Contest

For refueling:

• Beer Garden serving the craft brews of Brockton Beer Company
• Food trucks by Morrell’s BBQ and Dominican Chimis

New this year, you can commemorate the event by purchasing a limited edition event poster featuring stunning original art by artist Sharif Muhammad.

“Putting the full Black and Brown experience on display serves as a reminder for all that we are multidimensional, brilliant, invaluable human beings. It is the emotional argument to dismantle all forms of racism,” says Muhammad. Two designs, “His Truth” and “Her Truth” will be available at the event and can be purchased in advance here. Mr. Muhammed will also be participating in the Artisan Market if you’d like to bring home one of his beautiful pieces.

Artisan Market

New this year the event will feature an array of amazing offerings from various local BIPOC-owned businesses include earth-friendly, non-toxic candles and on-site candle making by Candle Lux; Scituate Surf Co., featuring sustainable, eco-friendly beach apparel; Robyn Thompson-Duong, fine artist from Hanover who designed the 2023 Juneteenth commemorative t-shirt; Ankhara by Luciana, featuring gorgeous home decor and textiles, and beautifully curated jewelry by LBM Jewelry and more. Click here to view the full list.

Thank you to our partners

New this year, we have partnered with other South Shore community organizations for planning and executing this event. Thank you to Duxbury For All, Abington ASPIRE, and First Parish Church of Norwell.

Learn more about Juneteenth

What is the Black National Anthem?

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a hymn affectionately referred to as “the Black National Anthem” based on a poem written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson. In the 1920s, it would be adopted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as the official Negro National Anthem.Learn more here.

What is Juneteenth?

On June 19, 1865 (“Juneteenth”), Union soldiers enforced President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas, two months after the South’s official surrender in the Civil War and two and a half years after the proclamation went into effect. Also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, Juneteenth originated as a Texas holiday to celebrate the end of slavery throughout the United States. Learn more here.

Why celebrate Juneteenth?

No matter who or where you are, Juneteenth is worthy of a celebration! It has been celebrated since 1866, mostly by Black Americans, but it is important for every American to recognize it as a turning point in our nation’s history to form a more perfect union.

Don’t miss it!

Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration

June 19, 2024
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The Bandstand at Hingham Harbor
Free and open to all, no advance registration required.

Learn more at https://hinghamunity.org/event/juneteenth-celebration/

For more information about this and other upcoming events and initiatives, join the Hingham Unity Council’s email list and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Any questions can be emailed to info@hinghamunity.org. Formed by members of the Hingham community in the fall of 2019, the Hingham Unity Council is part of the South Shore Unity Council, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.