2025 Juneteenth Celebration
Join Revere Public Schools in celebrating Juneteenth on Tuesday, June 10th, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Revere High School's Learning Commons.
This event honors the legacy of Juneteenth and highlights its ongoing importance in our pursuit of equity and social justice. In this spirit, we aim to educate, empower, and unite community members while fostering a welcoming atmosphere in our schools. Our goal is to create a space that encourages belonging and inclusivity for everyone.
This exciting event to commemorate the Juneteenth Holiday will feature music by vocalist Assol Garcia, poetry by Vick Breedy, dance performances by event sponsor Lil Phunk, and food courtesy of Soul on Shawmut and Nos Casa Cafe!
A keynote address will be delivered by Joan Cromwell, President of the Chelsea Black Community.
June 19, 2025, marks the 160th anniversary of the last African American slaves being freed in Texas. In 2021, President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, S. 475, creating a federal holiday to commemorate Juneteenth. This is the first federal holiday approved since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. This, however, was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in January 1863. This day, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has become a day for African Americans to celebrate not only their freedom, but their history, culture, and achievements.
On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. This, however, was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in January 1863. This day, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has become a day for African Americans to celebrate not only their freedom, but their history, culture, and achievements.
Our Program
Assol Garcia is a singer from Cabo Verde, an archipelago nation located off the coast of West Africa, which is home to rich Afro-Portuguese music traditions. She was born in 1989 on the island of Fogo, raised in t
he shadows of the island’s frequently erupting active volcano. Now based in Boston, Garcia draws on Cabo Verdean styles such as morna and coladeira, genres that were made famous around the world through the work of the late Cesária Evora. Garcia’s debut album, Alma di Minino (Soul of a Child), released in November 2015, garnered critical acclaim and multiple nominations at the 2017 Cabo Verde Music Awards, winning her the title of "Best New Artist." In 2023, Garcia released her latest album, Ecos de Mim (Echoes of Myself), further showcasing her soulful voice and dedication to promoting Cabo Verdean music worldwide.
Vick Breedy, a Massachusetts native, has firsthand experience with the challenging choices made when trying to maintain a relationship. Breedy chose to write about these experiences and how they can make us weak and vulnerable. Having overcome her hardships, she can relate to readers everywhere and entertain them in the process. Breedy's first publication, BITTER, was a form of therapy. Over time, it evolved into a tool used to empower those who believe that crumbling, while under pressure, is not an option. This author firmly believes that it is not the adversity you experience in life that defines you. How you respond to these situations is what makes you who you are. She has learned that you can tell a great deal about a person by paying attention to how they respond in difficult times. Vick Breedy knows that bitter people never win.
Joan Cromwell serves as President of Chelsea Black Community, a nonprofit community organization that promotes inclusion, diversity, and partnership to improve the economic, social, educational, health, and safety conditions for all community members in Chelsea, MA. She also serves the MA Department of Public Health as a Public Health Nurse Advisor in the Bureau of Infectious Diseases and Laboratory Science. Previously, her career as a Registered Nurse has allowed her to work at Boston Children’s Hospital, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Mass General Hospital, Chelsea Public School District (as a school nurse), and Chelsea Public Health Department. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Simmons College.Thank You To Our Sponsors
This evening would not be possible without the generous support of our event sponsors HarborCOV, Soul on Shawmut, and Nos Casa Cafe! Click their logo to learn more.
