Events are planned across northern New England to mark Juneteenth, the day when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free 155 years ago.
From marches to rallies, the events come as support grows for the racial justice movement. In Vermont, the first state to abolish adult slavery in 1777, criminal defense attorneys from around the state will be marching in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement at noon in Burlington and Bennington. In Maine, the largest event is a planned rally outside Portland City Hall, followed by a march to Deering Oaks Park.
In New Hampshire, the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire in Portsmouth was hosting choral and drumming performances. An educational scavenger hunt is part of Manchester’s celebrations.
