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Juneteenth in Boston

Lovely Hoffman "Juneteenth" Official Music Video

Lovely Hoffman sings about the holiday, and Boston's connections.

WBZ reports on a celebration in Nubian Square yesterday.

H/t Ron Newman for the Lovely Hoffman video.

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Comments

I walked over to the MFA in hopes of catching the outdoor 11 am talk and one of the ambassadors informed me that they were issuing tickets for free admission for Juneteenth to walk-ins. Tickets are not available for Basquiat or Monet exhibits, but other galleries are open.

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The MFA and RoxFilm showed it outdoors tonight. It is all about the Harlem Cultural Festival summer concerts of 1969, featuring (among others) the Chambers Brothers, Staple Singers, Fifth Dimension, Mahalia Jackson, Edwin Hawkins Singers, David Ruffin, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, Hugh Masekela, and others I may be forgetting at the moment. It will open in theatres next month. Go see it!

(You'll especially love this if you have also seen "Wattstax", about a similar 1972 concert in Los Angeles.)

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I too will be reflective as my husband died suddenly of brain hemorrhage this day 2 years ago. Just want to curl up and stop the world so I can get off.

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I hope his spirit visits and comforts you❤️❤️

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Growing up, Juneteenth was so sacred and heartwarming. The celebrations hold some of my most cherished childhood memories. Although I guess I’m happy it is being recognized in a mainstream way, I can’t help but feel like it’s gonna be commercialized and watered down. It was already being celebrated by those it means the most to. I just hope the soul of the holiday doesn’t get lost. Everyone’s invited to the cookout now I suppose lol

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Interesting perspective. Although they are a different thing, that same kind of "commercialization" happened to First Night and the July 4 celebration over the years, and the soul DID get lost. And how many people think of Memorial Day only as a time for cookouts and big sales? I've even heard people say "Happy Memorial Day". Let's hope the spirit of Juneteenth prevails.

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Yes, next year there will surely be Hallmark Juneteenth cards available.

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I can’t help but feel like it’s gonna be commercialized and watered down.

Speaking as a lesbian reflecting on the anniversary of the Stonewall riot, and how it is observed today, my take is: it will be. It will be commercialized, and that's part of the ongoing struggle. Every year I need to remind people, my brothers and sisters not least, that rainbow capitalism is not liberation, and that we can't let people buy their ally card with a quick stop at Target for some rainbow paraphernalia. Black people are going to have to do the same. Is it right? Is it fair? Hell no. But it can be done, and while you will get the "but it's a show of support, you big meanie, let people celebrate" (as if you could stop them from doing so), you will also cause people to reflect, and to question the messaging. Trust me on this one.

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What a beautiful voice and arrangement.

I'm ashamed at how little of this history I know.

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Part 1: Elizabeth Freeman: https://www.elizabethfreemancenter.org/who-we-are/elizabeth-freeman/

Part 2: Quock Walker: https://historicaldigression.com/2015/01/18/quock-walker-and-emancipatio...

Of course this was only the beginning of liberation, not an end to exploitation and marginalization. Just like slavery itself, it all started a bit sooner here.

More: mass.gov/guides/massachusetts-constitution-and-the-abolition-of-slavery

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