A large crowd gathered at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs Thursday morning for a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony to honor the history of the holiday and kick off the Island weekend celebrations.
Juneteenth is a national holiday that commemorates the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, and later the rest of the United States, learned of the Emancipation Proclamation that officially ended slavery.
Dr. Lorna Andrade, Dr. Robert Tankard and Jamie Harris, all Vineyard residents dedicated to their work of promoting diversity and inclusion on the Island, served as guest speakers for the event, hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association.
Dr. Lorna Andrade, representing The Cottagers, Inc, as well as the Martha’s Vineyard branch of NAACP, spoke on the roots of the holiday itself as well as its presence on the Vineyard.
“On Martha’s Vineyard Juneteenth began with the small gathering of people on the porch of the Narragansett House in 2021...In 2022, with Andrew Patch, who was chair here of the campground and others, the gathering became more visible by having the first flag raising ceremony at this historic tabernacle in Oak Bluffs representing struggle, triumph, and survival” she said.
Today, in 2025, the tradition continues. Kim Jones, a member of The Cottagers and MVCMA board director, and Lawrence Jones, director of outreach for the Martha’s Vineyard African American Heritage Trail, had the honor of conducting the Juneteenth flag raising this year.
“We raise this flag as a symbol of freedom” Mr. Jones said in his remarks preceding the raising.
The flag, half red, half blue, with a bursting star in the center, was then pulled up the flagpole, prompting spectators to cheer, clap and celebrate the moment and its historical context.
Mrs. Jones said that raising the flag felt particularly special to her because growing up, she had always heard about Juneteenth, though she was not exposed to the greater meaning behind it until later in life.
“As I became an adult, I learned more and more about what occurred, why it occurred, and the importance of recognizing that flag today,” she said. “So being asked for my husband and I to raise it, and raising it last year, feels really beautiful and awesome.”
Camp meeting association board president Sherrie Saint-Amant, opened the event and highlighted the significance of Juneteenth to the Vineyard community.
“Today offers an important opportunity for us and the community of the Camp Ground, the community of Oak Bluffs, and the greater Martha’s Vineyard community, to come together...to honor and uplift the perseverance of Black Americans while acknowledging we still have a lot of work to do” she said.
As the event concluded, several lingered to mingle and admire the flying flag. Sherilynn Kimble, spectator of the event, said she was on Island for three weeks with her husband to celebrate Father’s Day as well as Juneteenth on the Vineyard.
“This is just a really great celebration, all the people, the weather, I’m excited,” she said. “It means a lot.”
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