Juneteenth Kicks Off In Brookline With Block Party

BROOKLINE, MA – Juneteenth observances in Brookline kick off this year with a block party at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School.

The block party will be held on Sunday, June 18 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Led by Zahriyannah Karakashian-Jones and Adena Walker, the event will offer a selection of vendors and variety of games for all to enjoy. Games range from double dutch and mancala to more challenging games such as spades and dominoes, according to the event's Eventbrite page.

Those looking for more relaxing activities can visit water and cooling stations, as well as blanketed areas with pillows.

Free food options, such as soul food, tacos, and ice cream, will be available to all. The block party will also feature a dance party with a live DJ.

The next day, on June 19, a Juneteenth Freedom March will also be held at the school, followed by a celebration.

The march begins at 10 a.m. at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School, located at 345 Harvard St., and proceeds to the Brookline Avenue Playground, located at 575 Brookline Ave., where a celebration will be held at 11 a.m.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

• Related: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in Brookline will be closed Monday.

Garbage and recycling pickup in Brookline will also be delayed. Residents are asked to place their trash out for collection one day later than their usual collection day. This includes residents whose collection day is Friday, putting their trash out for Saturday pick up.