City offices and facilities closed Friday, June 18 as New Bedford observes Juneteenth

New Bedford, Massachusetts– City offices will be closed to the public on Friday, June 18, as New Bedford observes the Juneteenth holiday. This includes the public libraries. The Buttonwood Park Zoo will remain open.

Last year, Juneteenth was designated an official state holiday in Massachusetts. 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, beginning with this year’s holiday. Commemorations are planned for Juneteenth weekend in New Bedford. Mayor Jon Mitchell has designated Juneteenth a City-observed holiday beginning with this year’s observance.

As a reminder, City offices reopen to regular business hours to the public on Tuesday June 15, 2021, as the state of emergency is lifted in Massachusetts.