Juneteenth
Monday, June 20, 2022
Times: The Village is open 9:30 am to 5:00 pm
Cost: In commemoration of Juneteenth, admission to the museum is free on Monday 6/20/22
Get Tickets
On June 20, 2022, we will commemorate and explore the history, resilience, and culture of Black people in America. We encourage visitors to consider the historical and present-day significance of Juneteenth through interactions with guest speakers and performers as well as Old Sturbridge Village’s costumed educators. Engage in discussions and ask yourself “what can I do to further educate myself?” about the past and how it informs the present day. We will also welcome several special guests!
Exploring the Words of Frederick Douglass
Inspired by the HBO Max film Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches, students from Old Sturbridge Academy and area high schools will share abbreviated readings of select speeches by Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery in 1817 in Maryland, Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 and became a well-known orator and writer as well as a leading abolitionist in Massachusetts and New York. After hearing his words, guests are invited to engage in discussions about the context and significance of these speeches.
This part of our Juneteenth program is made possible by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through “A More Perfect Union,” a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
What is Juneteenth? How does it connect to Old Sturbridge Village?
Juneteenth is a day commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in 1865. More specifically, it marks the day in 1865 when troops arrived in Galveston Texas to ensure the freedom of those enslaved at the time, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The road to emancipation was a long one and although slavery wasn’t abolished in the country until decades after the Village’s time period, many seeds of abolition were sown in the first half of the 19th century through lectures, art, articles, books, and other forms of activism. As a part of our Juneteenth program, guests can:
- Hear a Gospel singer from Worcester perform
Visit with Cardethia Moore of Waistbeads by Cardethia for a craft on the Common. Her waistbeads will also be available for sale.- Taste samples of foods from Addie Lee’s Soul Food of Worcester MA (timeframe TBD)
- Take an “Uncomfortable Truths” walking tour led by a Village historian
- Learn about the Kwaku Walker case in the Law Office
- Kwaku Walker (sometimes referred to as Quock Walker) was an enslaved man in Barre MA, that sued for and won his freedom in June 1781 in a case citing language in the new Massachusetts Constitution (1780) that declared all men to be born free and equal. The case Commonwealth vs. Jennisen is believed to one of the many freedom suits that brought about changes to ending slavery in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts constitution of 1780 was never amended to explicitly prohibit the practice. Massachusetts was one of the first states to effectively and fully abolish slavery. By the 1790 federal census, no enslaved persons were recorded in the state.
- See interpreters make Brooks Cake and learn how Mary Brooks, headmistress of the Concord Female Anti-Slavery Society, raised money for the cause through baking
- Play mancala, a game that originated in East Africa
- Discuss connections between the 19th-century New England economy and slavery in the southern states
- Learn about 19th-century abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison
- And more! Check back closer to the event for a schedule of programs and activities
Special thanks to the following Community Partners for joining us this year and helping us plan Juneteenth programming!
