Salem’s Juneteenth Jam Festival II will take place on Thursday, June 19th at noon, at Charlotte Forten Park with remarks from community members and city officials. Immediately following, attendees are invited to participate in a public reading of Frederick Douglass’s famous speech The Meaning of The Fourth Of July for the Negro led by anti-racist educator and local organizer Toni Waldron.

Following the conclusion of this public reading, Salem’s Juneteenth Jam will feature games, activities, crafts, face painting, music, a free planting activity from The Willow Witch and food from Butter Ur Biscuit. There will also be a pop-up market featuring local Black-owned businesses organized by The Anthem Group. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of The Real Pirate Musuem, we are excited to feature live music from Coco Brown and The Invitation, led by Nicole Harris. They will kick off their set at 2:15pm with Lift Every Voice. Immediately following at 3:20 History Alive, Inc. presents Chloe Agyare as teacher and abolitionist Charlotte Forten reading her poems, journal entries, and lyrics of activism. Sketch materials will be available to draw Charlotte from life.  To wrap things up for the afternoon Historical Tours Salem will offer a free hour-long Black history tour of Salem, which will start at 3:30 from Charlotte Forten Park. Signs ups for this tour will begin at 3:15, with a limit of 40 available spots.

Festivities will continue with the world premier screening of a new Charlotte Forten mini documentary commissioned by the City of Salem. The screening takes place at CinemaSalem at 5:00p.m. Created and directed by Steven Foley Media Productions of Lynn, this short documentary covers the legacy of Charlotte Forten, Salem State’s first Black graduate and one of the City of Salem’s first Black public-school teachers. Following the premier, CinemaSalem will host a panel discussion featuring residents and community members involved with the project. The panel includes key project members Nate Bryant, Gwendolyn Rosemond, and Moneike McNeil, and will be moderated by the City of Salem’s Senior Planner for Arts and Culture Julie Barry.

Following last year’s success with the outdoor screening of Marvel’s Black Panther, this year’s Juneteenth celebrations conclude with a free screening of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on Salem Common. Free popcorn will be provided, thanks to the generosity of CinemaSalem. The movie is expected to start at 8:30 p.m. and is approximately 2 ½ hours long.

All Juneteenth events in Salem are family-friendly, free, and open to anyone who wishes to attend.