Amherst Will Celebrate Juneteenth With Multiple Events on Saturday June 15 and Wednesday June 19

Sources: amherstma.gov and Ancestral Bridges Foundation

The Ancestral Bridges Foundation, the Town of Amherst and the Black Business Association of Amherst Area are each sponsoring activities on June 15 or June 19 to celebrate the ending of slavery in 1865. All of those events are free and open to the public. Special Juneteenth events are also scheduled at the Amherst Cinema and The Drake on June 19.

Ancestral Bridges Walking Tour Returns – June 15
Ancestral Bridges is again holding a walking tour as part of its fourth annual Juneteenth commemoration with the theme of “Chains to Change.” The walking tour includes four stops of special significance to the Amherst residents of African heritage. The day begins at 11 a.m. in West Cemetery with a memorial service and Civil War reenactment by the Peter Brace 54^th Regiment. This event celebrates the Black Amherst residents who served in the 54th regiment and 5th cavalry during the Civil War, brings forward the intentionally erased and lesser known black history of Amherst as told through their descendants voices, oral history, and historic record as it connects to our present.

From Noon to 1 p.m., there will be an exhibit of artifacts and a discussion on housing in Amherst, focusing on the West Side Historic District, where many of Amherst’s early Black residents lived. The discussion will take place at the Amherst Women’s Club on Triangle Street.

There will be an open house at the Emily Dickinson Museum from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. hosted by the Jones Library and Amherst Recreation Department. There will be activities for children and different learning stations that feature the Amherst Civil War tablets.

The walking tour ends at the Hope Community Church, 16 Gaylord Street, from 3-4:00 p.m with  conversations about the struggle for civil rights and voter suppression This program will include a special presentation by Dr. Shirley Jackson Whitaker, creator of the Tote2Vote education campaign.

The final Ancestral Bridges event is a Juneteenth Story Slam centered on the “Chains to Change” theme at the Drake at 7 p.m. The public is invited to this free event to hear local stories of resilience, hope, and the relentless pursuit of change. The event features diverse storytellers from Amherst and the wider Connecticut River Valley.

Amherst Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sponsors Celebration on the Common – June 15
A community celebration organized by the Amherst Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will take place on the Town Common from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with music and vendors, as well as representatives from several community partners who work hard daily to make Amherst vibrant and strong.

Black Business Association of Amherst Area – June 19
The Black Business Association of Amherst Area is presenting its 15 annual Amherst Juneteenth Jubilee at Mill River Recreation Area from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19. The event will offer soul food by Henryne’s Catering as well as games, children’s crafts, and poetry reading. The Black excellence youth award will be presented, and Dr. Amilcar Shabazz will speak on Reparations.

Entertainment will be provided by Pamoja Drum and Dance Collective, Sound by Maurice “Soulfighter” Taylor, and yoga with Grounded in Wellness 365. The jubilee is free and open to all.  The event is co-sponsored by the Amherst Cultural Council, Amherst Media, Bridge for Unity, Greenfield Cooperative Bank, and Sankofa Gumbo.

Amherst Cinema and The Drake
Juneteenth events continue at the Amherst Cinema and the Drake. Amherst Cinema is showing “Love & Basketball”, a film starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps as basketball-obsessed next-door neighbors who find love over flirtatious pickup games, fall apart under the strain of high-pressure college hoops and families, and drift in and out of each other’s lives as they pursue their aspirations of playing professionally. The film will be introduced by Aneeka Henderson of Amherst College. The showing is at 7 p.m. and is free to Amherst Cinema members.

Across the street, the Drake has a special Juneteenth show featuring Freddie Bryant and the Northampton Jazz Workshop at 7:30 p.m. followed by a jam session. Bryant is on the faculties of  the Berklee College of Music and Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen, Holland. He was a recipient of the CMA New Jazz Works Composition grant in 2019. There is a $10 cover, $5 for students, and free for jam participants.