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BOSTON (State House News Service) — Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey are scheduled to speak at an inaugural in-person Juneteenth celebration on Friday featuring music, speakers, and a film premiere, according to organizers.
The event, which planners hope to hold annually, comes a day before the state and likely the country officially celebrates the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of the final enslaved people in 1865.
President Joe Biden is scheduled to sign a law making June 19 a federal holiday at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to the White House.
Read More: Here Are 11 Ways To Celebrate Juneteenth In Boston This Weekend
The inaugural Juneteenth event on Friday is set to take place in Nubian Square and will be hosted by King Boston, a privately funded non-profit with a mission of honoring the legacy of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as addressing economic and racial inequities.
The non-profit is the same group working to install a new sculpture in Boston Common commemorating Dr. King's 1965 speech in downtown Boston.
Other speakers scheduled for Friday include The Boston Foundation President and CEO Lee Pelton and King Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries. Performers include DJ Chubby Chub, a radio host on JAMN 94.5, Danny Rivera, and the Boston Children's Choir. The celebration starts at 6:30 p.m.
By Chris Van Buskirk, State House News Service
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