The North Shore Juneteenth Association in Lynn Will Hold Celebration

Juneteenth has received a lot more attention in the national press recently and the North Shore Juneteenth Association in Lynn (NSJA) will kick off the holiday with their annual flag raising on June 15 at Lynn City Hall and a larger day-long event on June 19.

The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the ending of slavery in the U. S. Celebrating the holiday on June 19 gives the community a chance to learn about the positive contributions African Americans have made to society.

For the North Shore Juneteenth Association President Nicole McClain it will be good to be back in-person after hosting virtual celebrations last year due to the pandemic.

“It’s exciting to be back in person,” said McClain. “I love that we are actually able to share more of our culture, live and in person, with the community. Sharing our culture with the community is one of our goals so I’m happy that we’re accomplishing that this year.”

The annual Juneteenth Flag Raising will happen at 6 pm outside Lynn City Hall with Mclain, Mayor Thomas McGee, and the Reverend Andre Bennett all speaking and Eva Davenport singing the Black National Anthem.

Then on June 19 at the Lynn Museum from 1 to 5 pm NSJA will host the free Juneteenth Festival: Celebrating Freedom.

“We’ll have poet Terry Connor performing from West Medford, ITM Hip Hop group that is based in Lynn as well as Cheney David singing the Black National Anthem,” said McClain. “We will also have vendors selling Soul Food for people to taste, music, crafts for families and other Black business owners sharing their business with the community.”

McClain added that the event really speaks to the mission of the NSJA.

“We’re spreading Juneteenth all over the North Shore this year and I love it,” she said. “

NSJA, founded in 2017, began the celebration of the Juneteenth holiday in the area. This holiday commemorates the ending of slavery in the U. S. Celebrating the holiday gives the community a chance to learn about the positive contributions African Americans have made to society.

Celebrated each year on June 19 the NSJA raises the Juneteenth Flag in Lynn to raise awareness of the holiday and the African American community. The group also hosts the Our Black Excellence 5k that includes positive images of African Americans along the route to educate participants as they walk or run. Programming also introduces and educates our community on Black American culture and issues faced by Black Americans

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