City Offices and Facilities Closed Monday, June 19 as New Bedford Observes Juneteenth

New Bedford, Massachusetts – City offices will be closed to the public on Monday, June 19^th, as New Bedford observes the Juneteenth holiday. This includes public libraries. Buttonwood Park Zoo will remain open.

The City of New Bedford was gifted an Official Juneteenth Flag by Human Rights Commissioner Sidney A. Murray II. The flag will be hoisted today as part of the annual flag raisings for the City.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, specifically the date that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were finally notified of their emancipation on June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth was first recognized in Massachusetts in 2007 and was formally designated a state holiday during the summer of 2020. Observance of the holiday began in 2021, and Mayor Jon Mitchell designated Juneteenth a City-observed holiday beginning that year.

Monday’s observance will delay residential trash, recycling, bulky pickup, and yard waste routes by one day. Commercial recycling also will be delayed by one day. Commercial collection for trash & cardboard will be on schedule.