Somerville Celebrating Juneteenth with Flag Raising and Citywide Events

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Department of Racial and Social Justice (RSJ) invite community members to celebrate Juneteenth in Somerville by joining in events happening through the month of June that explore an array of experiences and perspectives.

City Hall Flag Raising

All are invited to join Somerville’s third annual Juneteenth flag raising and on Monday, June 16, on the City Hall concourse (93 Highland Ave.) from noon to 1 p.m. 

Alongside the flag raising, hear from local leaders and advocates, and free ice cream will be available. This event’s rain date is Tuesday, June 17, from 4 to 5 p.m. 

Citywide Juneteenth Events

RSJ is partnering with the Somerville Museum, the City of Medford, and Tufts University to provide additional Juneteenth programming during the month of June. Schedule is as follows: 

Juneteenth at Tufts – Together We Rise: A Community Celebration of Juneteenth

The Office of the Vice Provost for Institutional Inclusive Excellence at Tufts University, in partnership with the Juneteenth Planning Committee and the cities of Medford and Somerville, invite you to attend this year’s Juneteenth celebration to learn about the historical struggle for liberation and unification of people who identify as coming from the African diaspora. This community celebration will feature local artists, vendors and educators. Join us to reflect, rejoice, and shine a light on the importance of unity during this time

When: June 18, 2025 from 8:15 – 11:30 a.m.

Full Schedule

• Breakfast from 8:30 – 9 a.m.
• History of Juneteenth from 9 – 9:45 a.m.
• Workshops from 10 – 10:50 a.m.
• “Where do we go from here?” from 11 – 11:30 a.m.
• Where: Joyce Cummings Center (Tufts University), 177 College Ave, Medford, MA 02155

RSVP and Additional Information: https://diversity.tufts.edu/events/juneteenth-2025/

The Blessing of the Bay: Voices in the Wind 

Experience a unique celebration recognizing three distinct cultures whose histories intertwined at Ten Hills Farm. Through song, dance and storytelling, the event commemorates the Blessing of the Bay, a pioneering ship built by Massachusetts's first Governor, John Winthrop, while also confronting the deeper truths of colonization and its impact on Indigenous peoples and Africans brought here through slavery.

When: June 22, 2025 from 1 – 3 p.m.
Where: Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, 32 Shore Drive, Somerville, MA 02145

Featuring:

• Morning Star Singers: An Indigenous drum group
• Anna-Celestrya Carr: an Indigenous Dancer
• De Ama Battle's African Music and Dance Group
• Aimee Ledwell: Storyteller

Frederick Douglass Reading 

In collaboration with the Somerville Museum and the Somerville Arts Council, the annual reading of Frederick Douglass’s famous address, “What to the Slave is the 4^th of July?”, will take place at Somerville’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration.

• Date: Wednesday, June 25 (Rain Date: June 27)
• Time: 5:30 p.m.
• Location: Trum Field (541 Broadway) 

For questions about Juneteenth events and programming, contact RSJ at rsj@somervillema.gov. 

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy in advance at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.  

The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter in your language for free. To request an interpreter, please contact us at somerviva@somervillema.gov or call 311 (617-666-3311) at least 7 days in advance of these events.