CHESTERTOWN — The Bayside HOYAS hosted their annual “Heroes of the Chesapeake” Juneteenth celebration on Friday evening, June 13 in Chestertown’s downtown Fountain Park.
The aim is to “illuminate the role of African Americans in the history of the Eastern Shore and their contributions and serves to be an exciting celebration and acknowledgment of the heritage and culture of the African American community,” according to a social media post.
There was a block party atmosphere with food trucks, live music, street dancing, vendors and a message from John Queen, president and co-founder of the HOYAS.
The acronym stands for Helping Our Youth Achieve Success.
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official Jan. 1, 1863.
President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday by signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021.
— Photos by Trish McGee
