Reading celebrates Juneteenth on the Town Common
(4-minute read)
Music, food, and community filled the Reading Town Common on Saturday, June 20, as residents gathered to celebrate Juneteenth. DJ Mikey D spun music, lawn games spread across the grass, organizations lined the walkways with tents, and the Butter “Ur” Biscuit food truck served chicken sandwiches, tenders, and fries from the parking area.
Welcome and proclamation
Office of Equity and Social Justice Director Albert Pless opened the program by thanking residents for coming and the town for making the celebration possible. He asked the crowd to take 30 seconds to sit with that moment, a reminder of how important it is to simply be present. He also recognized the planning team - Pastor Mary Curlew, Angela McIntosh, Aujanetta Stith, Reggie Nichols, Tiffany Williams, Anna Cuevas, and Wanny Wu - whose work brought the day together.
The Butter “Ur” Biscuit truck served up chicken sandwiches and waffles from its window. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Rev. Mary Curlew read the Juneteenth Resolution, as signed by the Select Board on June 9. Reading Memorial High School student Tyree Walker from the Students of Color and Allies for Equity, Justice, and Inclusion (SOCA4EJI, or SOCA) followed with a land acknowledgment recognizing the Pawtucket band of the Massachusetts Tribe.
State Rep. Rich Haggerty offered remarks sharing the day and the many events happening across the weekend. He spoke about the importance of coming together, recommitting to equity and inclusion, and lifting one another up, noting that the community has seen tough times before and can continue to move forward.
Reflections on freedom
James Austin, of Woburn, shared what Juneteenth means to him. His answer was freedom: freedom of the body, the emotions, the spirit, and of life itself. He spoke candidly about growing up in Boston, where love wasn’t always expressed in traditional ways, and where thinking about the future felt out of reach. He described losing his brother and spending time in prison.
Austin, now studying for a Master’s degree in addiction, said he long avoided church, waiting outside while his wife attended, until someone told him they saw something in him that he couldn’t yet see in himself. Today, he works with people in jail and in recovery, walking alongside them to show them that someone cares.
Zahara Pless, Albert’s daughter, performed Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
Student voices
Zahara Pless delivers a performance under the tent, backed by DJ Mkikey D. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
RMHS Class of 2026 graduate Aidan Williams shared his experience with the METCO program and the Reading Public Schools. He transferred from Boston to Parker Middle School in 2021 and recalled how welcome he felt from the start, even through his nerves. He thanked the adults who housed him during his time in Reading, his best friend Landen, and his mother for encouraging him to join the METCO program. High school is filled with ups and downs, he said, but he doesn’t remember the downs. Calling Juneteenth a celebration of freedom and community, he closed with a line that stayed with the crowd: “Sometimes the places you’re most afraid to go end up changing your life for the better.”
Tyree Walker, president of SOCA and class president of the Class of 2028, introduced SOCA, RMHS's social justice group, describing it as small but mighty and noting its recent Culture Day, which featured food and activities from around the world. He followed with a spoken-word piece titled "Society Got It Wrong." He urged listeners not to shrink their dreams to fit anyone else’s expectations, and warned that while society draws lines rather than accepts them. “So, why not you?” he asked. “Why not your voice? Why not your vision? Why not your future? You are not defined by the expectations placed on you. You are defined by your courage to go beyond them. So dream boldly. Dream loudly.”
Toussaint the Liberator closed the program with song and drum performances, and community members formed a dance aisle, taking turns walking and dancing to the music.
Pless also acknowledged Select Board member Karen Herrick for her support since he came to town nearly three years ago, and recognized the groundwork laid by Philmore Phillip II, Jeremiah Sanford, and Sherilla Lestrade, whose efforts made the day’s celebration possible. Herrick, in turn, spoke about the value of the Office of Equity and Social Justice, a relatively new office in town, and recalled memories of the first Juneteenth festival held at Memorial Park.
Educational seminar
Attendees gather in the Old South Methodist Church for the educational seminar organized by the SOCA students. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Students from SOCA worked with RMHS media teacher and SOCA advisor Anna Cuevas to organize an educational seminar on Massachusetts Emancipation Day, also known as Quock Walker Day. The session drew a significantly larger group than the previous year, and organizers closed by encouraging everyone to bring two people with them next year.
Organizations on the Common
Community organizations and Black-owned businesses lined the walkways throughout the afternoon, including CATO: The Coalition of Us, the North Reading Human Rights Group, SOCA, the Ad Hoc Commemoration Establishment Committee (ACE), the Office of Equity and Social Justice, Partners and Allies for Inclusive Reading (PAIR), METCO, and RMHS Politics Club.
Local vendors and other businesses included BareFitness Pilates, African Authentics, Beauté Noir, Gerly’s Ice Cream, Diverse Elements, Rooted Body Co., kaikeychains&more, Cultural Findings, and Takelies Fashion & Beauty, as well as face painters Imani and Laura.
Thank you
Thank you to everyone who made the day possible: the Office of Equity and Social Justice and the volunteers who organized the celebration, the town staff who helped set up the common, the Reading Police detail that assisted with the crossing from the Town Common to the Old South Methodist Church for the educational seminar, and every organization that showed up to share the day.
