North Shore Race Amity Day Festival Heads To Danvers For First Time

DANVERS, MA — A regional celebration of diversity, multiculturalism and multiethnicity is coming to Danvers for the first time this year.

The sixth Annual North Shore Race Amity Day Festival will be on the lawn of the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 11.

The event will include performances from Afro-jazz vocalist Wangari Fahari, Flamenco instructor Eve Costarelli, interactive dialogues, interviews with Dr. Charlie Desmond and Dave McKenna, and a performance from the Danvers High jazz quintet.

The North Shore Race Amity Day Festival was built upon the 2016 state bill proclaiming the second Sunday in June as Massachusetts Race Amity Day designed to "recognize that the people of the commonwealth are its greatest asset, to recognize that the commonwealth is comprised of multicultural, multiethnic multiracial citizens, and to encourage friendship, collegiality, civility, respect and kindness as the commonly shared ideals of the collective citizenry of the Commonwealth by joining with communities across the United States to reflect on the beauty and richness of the diverse peoples of this great nation while reaching out with a spirit of amity toward one another annually and recommending that the day observed in an appropriate manner by the people."

The Heathmere Center for Cultural Engagement is providing support for the festival, in conjunction with the town of Danvers, the Danvers Cultural Council and the Mass Cultural Council.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)