Governor Ned Lamont held a bill signing ceremony earlier this month to officially make Juneteenth a state holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when the last Black enslaved people in Texas were freed in 1865.
To celebrate the historic day, the city of Hartford held its Second Annual Juneteenth Celebration at Bushnell Park on Sunday. It featured live music from local artists, food and themes that highlighted the importance of the day itself.
In Old Lyme, the Florence Griswold Museum featured jazz music and readings from poets of the Witness Stones project that reflected on the significance of Juneteenth.
Lamont said Juneteenth marked an important day in our nation’s history that had been underrecognized for too long.
He also said the day was a learning opportunity for future generations.
