Mystic, Conn. (June 2, 2022) – Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad are collaborating for the third year to bring a Juneteenth recognition event to the Museum on June 19. The Amistad, the 128-foot flagship of the State of Connecticut, is currently on display at the Museum’s waterfront.
Juneteenth is a historic day that marked the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers delivered the news to Galveston, Texas that the Civil War was over and enslaved African-Americans were free. Texas was the last state to be informed that slavery had been abolished, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
A special program – including a panel discussion, a “Harambee” reflection, live music, and tours of the 128-foot flagship of Connecticut, the Amistad – is designed to honor African-American culture, to increase awareness and to highlight the roles that we all can play to dismantle racism.
The program begins at 3 p.m. and is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Eastern CT and Chelsea Groton Bank. Admission to Mystic Seaport Museum is free after 2:30 on June 19.
“Juneteenth is a historic day that marks the ending of human chattel slavery in the United States. On this day, we reflect on the struggles and triumphs of the African American community; both historically and today. It is also a day for America to acknowledge the horrific institution of slavery, and its generational, systemic impacts. Juneteenth is a day to recommit ourselves to addressing racism and promoting social justice. Discovering Amistad is thrilled to partner with the Mystic Seaport Museum to offer a series of activities to commemorate Juneteenth, to increase awareness and to highlight the opportunities that ‘each of us’ can play to dismantle racism,” states Paula Mann-Agnew LMSW, CSW, Executive Director of Discovering Amistad.
For more details on the Juneteenth Celebration, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/events/juneteenth.
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Media Contact
Sophia Matsas
Director of Marketing & Communications
Mystic Seaport Museum
860.572.5317 (o)
sophia.matsas@mysticseaport.org
About Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
About Discovering Amistad
Discovering Amistad teaches the lessons of the 1839 Amistad Uprising to advance human rights today. Our schooner, The Amistad, is Connecticut’s flagship and serves as a floating classroom to supplement our proprietary in-class and on-line curriculum. For more information go to www.discoveringamistad.org
