Hundreds gather and march in Portland to mark Juneteenth celebration of emancipation - Press Herald

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Hundreds of people marched through the streets of downtown Portland Friday afternoon and evening during a rally recognizing Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of African Americans from slavery.

The organized demonstration blocked traffic and included several stops, when protesters kneeled, or laid face down, or stood and listened to speeches and poems, including at the Abyssinian Meeting House, the third-oldest Black church building in the United States.

The state holiday is being celebrated with renewed purpose and fresh awareness this year after recent high-profile police killings of Black Americans and the resulting global protests calling for criminal justice reform and an end to systemic racism.

With early summer heat in the 80s, protesters of all ages and ethnicities began the rally on Congress Street, in front of Portland City Hall, chanting and carrying signs saying “Black Lives Matter” and “My Generation Ends Racism.” Most also wore masks as requested by rally organizers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Edward Cubberly, 14, of Waterville, stands with his father, Chris, at a Juneteenth Black Lives Matter rally in Portland on Friday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Cheers rang out as speakers such as Tim Wilson, a three-time appointee to governors’ cabinets and former head of the Maine Human Rights Commission, recalled his experiences as a Black man living in Maine.

“I’ve been a part of this world for almost 80 years,” Wilson said. “Put your boots on. You’re going to be at it for a while.”

By 4:30 p.m. the crowd was on its way down Congress to Portland’s East End neighborhood to the Abyssinian Meeting House, which is under restoration.

Coordinated by Maine Youth Organizers, the Juneteenth rally was scheduled to be held from 3-9 p.m., ending at Deering Oaks. A Juneteenth arts event was held from 3-6 p.m. at Congress Square Park in Portland.

Congress Street, Portland, Maine. #BLM #portlandmaine pic.twitter.com/blvwQJ82UW

— Derek Davis (@derek_ddavis) June 19, 2020

Juneteenth commemorates the day that the last slaves still living in bondage in the United States learned they were free. It happened on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, where Union Gen. Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3, which said “all slaves are free” by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862, more than a year into the Civil War, and it went into effect Jan. 1, 1863. But it wasn’t until after the war ended, in the spring of 1865, that Union troops traveled to the hinterlands of southwest Texas and Granger announced publicly that the proclamation would be enforced.

In 2011, Maine became the 38th state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday, under legislation sponsored by former Democratic state Rep. Denise Harlow of Portland.

It requires the governor to issue a yearly proclamation designating the third Saturday in June as “Juneteenth Independence Day to commemorate the day freedom was proclaimed to all slaves in the South.”

A crowd gathers for a Juneteenth Black Lives Matter rally in Portland on Friday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Gov. Janet Mills issued a proclamation declaring Saturday to be Juneteenth in Maine, commemorating “the strength and determination of African Americans who were first brought to American soil in the hulls of slave ships” and celebrating “the rich heritage and accomplishments of African Americans.”

First celebrated in Austin, Texas, in 1867, Juneteenth is now recognized in every state except Hawaii as an official holiday or day of observance. It remains unrecognized as a national holiday despite past efforts to gain federal acceptance.

On Thursday, several U.S. senators announced they would be introducing legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

State Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, said Thursday she is developing legislation that would make Juneteenth a paid state holiday and she believes it should be a national holiday as well.

This story will be updated.

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