Juneteenth Flag Flying At Framingham Memorial Building For 1st Time

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham officials will raise the Juneteenth flag at the Memorial Building on Friday, the first instance of that flag raising in the city's history.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

In Framingham, the flag will be raised around noon on Friday and will remain up through Monday. The Pride flag that's been flying at the Memorial Building all month will again be raised on Tuesday.

"Juneteenth is an opportunity to learn from our past, acknowledge the end of one of our nation’s darkest days and work towards a better future," said Mayor Charlie Sisitsky.

"Embracing Juneteenth means we not only acknowledge the legacy of slavery but celebrate the sacrifice of those that came before us and celebrate the freedoms that we often take for granted."

Massachusetts' acknowledgment of Juneteenth has a direct connection to Framingham. Gov. Charlie Baker made Juneteenth a holiday in 2020 after legislation from former Framingham State Rep. Maria Robinson and State Representative Bud L Williams.

President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021.

"This is a special day for the City of Framingham as we join forces with other communities from around the commonwealth and around the country in acknowledging the end of forced bondage and servitude for the enslaved," said Jesse Edwards, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the City of Framingham.

"Though much progress has been made in the name of freedom, justice, and equality, we still have a great ways to go."