Brewer -
A ceremony in Brewer on Tuesday celebrated a different kind of Independence Day.
It's Juneteenth, the day that commemorates June 19, 1865 when union soldiers arrived in Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended and that slaves were free.
For the seventh year, the Maine Human Rights Coalition organized a ceremony to celebrate. Brewer's mayor read a proclamation declaring Tuesday "Juneteenth Celebration Day" in the city.
"That is the day when we were actually freed and we as black people celebrate Juneteenth as our day of freedom. And we just love to have our pink brothers and sisters celebrating it with us and celebrating that spirit of love and togetherness," said James Varner of the Maine Human Rights Coalition.
The organization is working on trying to make Juneteenth an official Maine holiday.
Add your Comments