How Hebron, Manchester and Windsor are celebrating Juneteenth

Although the proclamation freeing slaves went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that the last of the slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas, because word of the proclamation was slow to arrive.

Kyrinda Richardson, youth programs manager for the Urban League of Greater Hartford, said that Galveston and other towns in that area used to celebrate the day with big parades and celebrations that included with red punch, fruits, sodas, and red velvet cake to symbolize the blood of slaves, as well as resilience, joy, and strength.

Many towns in Connecticut just started recognizing the holiday that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021. Juneteenth became a state holiday after Gov. Ned Lamont signed it into law in 2022.

Richardson believes the state won’t see huge parties for Juneteenth for a while.

“In the Northeast, it’s still developing in terms of its observations and in terms of its celebrations,” she said. “I am glad, that now it’s a national holiday, people are forced to pause and at least Google it.”

Donna Jolly, vice president of the Coalition on Diversity and Equity, a group that operates in the towns of Hebron, Andover, Marlborough, and Columbia, stresses the importance of educating people on the holiday along with African American culture.

“We definitely didn’t have a full picture of the history growing up of everyone that contributed to America,” she said. “So for us to celebrate Juneteenth and to have a better understanding of the lives of formerly enslaved people, including those who lived and worked in our own communities, is really important.”

The Hebron coalition will hold a Juneteenth observance on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Peters House on East Street, which will feature many activities, Black-owned businesses, and a chance for people to learn about the holiday.

The educational experience at the event includes a performance from descendants of formerly enslaved Hebron resident Cesar Peters.

“I think the education piece is really important,” said Windsor Human Relations Commission Chairwoman Cassie Copeland-Smith. “When you don’t know your history, how can you know who you are today?”

With many activities and performances throughout the weekend, Windsor’s Juneteenth celebration will end with an event on Monday from 2 to 5 p.m. on the Windsor Town Green.

The event will consist of food trucks, entertainment, and a poem read by the state Poet Laureate Antoinette Brim-Bell.

Copeland-Smith said the town is dedicating the weekend-long celebration to Judge Kevin Washington, who died on March 27.

“This was really his vision to bring it to the town to uplift so many people, so we are dedicating the entirety of Juneteenth to him,” she said.

Manchester Senior Recreation Supervisor Calvin Harris, the organizer of the town’s Juneteenth events on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Leisure Labs at Mahoney Center, said that the town tries to showcase all cultures and teach people about the history of slavery due to the lack of education people were given on the topic growing up.

“We are very proactive in the way of being equitable and having our community understand how important it is for all walks of life to live in the town of Manchester,” he said.

Richardson said that Juneteenth and the increase of events for it provides the opportunity to tear down barriers, so that people can learn more and not act in ignorance, but act in knowledge.

“Embracing this history is an important component of educating everyone about how our nation was built and the significance of what this day means,” Lamont said on Wednesday. “When we ignore the impact of slavery, we ignore who we are as Americans and the extraordinary injustice that it created.”