Juneteenth Celebration 2023 - Portland, CT
Juneteenth: A Community Celebration of Freedom Day held in Portland, CT on Saturday, June 24th, 2023! The event was held at Portland Senior Center from 11am - 2pm.
Entertainment and speakers included:
DJ Mx. Chalk; Josh Curzan, Manchester Public Schools Teacher of the Year and collaborator on the Witness Stones Project;
John Mills, founder of Alex Breanne Corporation and Independent Scholar who has been working to memorialize enslaved residents of CT including Prince Mortimer in Middletown;
Poetry and songs performed by Portland residents including Portland’s poet laureate Naji Chester-Payne.
First Selectman Ryan Curley read Portland's Juneteenth Proclamation.