Roxbury · Boston · Massachusetts

Massachusetts Juneteenth Council of America

Celebrating Freedom. Honoring History. Marching Toward Justice.

JUNETEENTH · JUNE 19 · ROXBURY

The Saint-Gaudens Memorial to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment on Boston Common — Shaw on horseback with the Black soldiers of the 54th marching beside him

▶

Juneteenth in Roxbury — on videoPress play for the 2023 recording from the Museum lawn — Juneteenth Day, an Emancipation Celebration at the NCAAA. The year-by-year video record, 2023 to 2026, is in the dashboard below.

Years of Work · Video Dashboard Year by year, 2023–2026 — tap a tile to watch on YouTube or Instagram

4 yearsHosting Juneteenth at the NCAAA Museum grounds

June 19Freedom Day — celebrated every year

2023–2026Four Juneteenths, organized year by year below

RoxburyHome ground — Nubian Square, Boston

▶2023 · YouTube

Juneteenth Day at the NCAAA

The recording from the Museum lawn in Roxbury — the parade, the program, and the community on June 19, 2023.

▶2023 · Instagram

The 2023 Parade, with Dr. Gaither

The Council hosted the Boston Juneteenth Parade 2023 in collaboration with Dr. Barry Gaither of the NCAAA — the Council’s own post.

▶2024 · YouTube Channel

The 14th Annual Observance

June 19, 2024 filled the Museum grounds again. No separate Council recording was published for 2024 — this tile opens the Visit Nubian Square YouTube channel, where the Council’s video lives.

▶2025 · Instagram

Mayor Wu Joins the Council

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on the Museum lawn at Juneteenth 2025 — the Council called the moment “An Honorable Visit.”

▶2025 · Instagram

Preparing the Grounds for Freedom

The team raises the Juneteenth stage at the NCAAA — Dr. Muhammed on the ladder, volunteers below — ahead of June 19, 2025.

▶2026 · YouTube

Celebrating Boston — Mass250

Visit Nubian Square’s 2026 film for Massachusetts’ 250th: Roxbury’s history told by the community, leading into June 19, 2026.

Where most of the video lives: the Visit Nubian Square YouTube channel carries the Council’s Roxbury films — including “Visit Nubian Square: What Is Roxbury Mass?”, tagged for the Council and the NCAAA Museum, with Dr. Ali ABY Muhammed credited as founder.

Watch on YouTube →

Freedom Day in the Heart of Boston

#MassJuneteenthCouncil #Juneteenth #FreedomDay #Roxbury #NubianSquare #BlackHistory365

The Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) — the historic Abbotsford mansion at 300 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury, home of the Council's Juneteenth celebration for four years

Eternal Presence, John Wilson's monumental sculpture on the Museum lawn at the NCAAA

NCAAA Museum · 300 Walnut Ave

The Council

Four years of Juneteenth at the NCAAA Museum — and counting

The Massachusetts Juneteenth Council of America is a civic and historical council rooted in Roxbury. For four years the Council has hosted Juneteenth at the grounds of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) — bringing the parade, the program, and the community together on June 19.

The Council is a DBA initiative of Visit Nubian Square, LLC, and part of the Kingdom of PeaceKeepers family of ventures. Its work runs all year: history education, the Parade Walkers volunteer corps, and planning the next June 19 on clean ground.

Celebrating Freedom. Honoring History. Marching Toward Justice.

4 yearsHosting Juneteenth at the NCAAA Museum grounds

June 19Juneteenth — Freedom Day, every year

RoxburyHome ground — Nubian Square, Boston

Parade WalkersThe Council's volunteer corps for the June parade

Learn the History Volunteer With Us

The People

Dr. Muhammed & the Council team

Photographs from the Council’s own Instagram, @massjuneteenthcouncil — the founder, the Museum partnership, the Mayor’s visit, and the volunteers who build June 19. Tap any photo to see the original post.

The Founder

Dr. Ali ABY Muhammed

Founder and President of the Massachusetts Juneteenth Council of America. Through his leadership, the Council was created to honor the history, meaning, and continued legacy of Juneteenth across the Commonwealth — rooted in Roxbury and hosted at the NCAAA Museum grounds.

From the Council’s Instagram “Founder Feature” post.

See the Founder Feature post →

Dr. Ali ABY Muhammed in a black ceremonial coat and red cap standing with Dr. Barry Edmund Gaither in a white shirt on the Museum lawn

With Dr. Barry Gaither

Dr. Muhammed with Dr. Barry Edmund Gaither, Executive Director and Curator of the National Center of Afro-American Artists. The Council hosted the Boston Juneteenth Parade 2023 in collaboration with Dr. Gaither.

Original post on Instagram →

Mayor Michelle Wu holding a baby, standing with Dr. Muhammed and Council members on the NCAAA Museum lawn at Juneteenth

Mayor Wu Joins the Council

The Council welcomed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to the Juneteenth celebration on the Museum grounds — its post called the moment “An Honorable Visit.”

Original post on Instagram →

Dr. Muhammed on a ladder with a drill building the Juneteenth stage at the NCAAA Museum while a team member assists below

The Team Builds the Stage

“Preparing the Grounds for Freedom” — Dr. Muhammed on the ladder as the team raises the Juneteenth stage. The Council’s caption: Dr. Muhammed and Dr. Gaither led a committed team of volunteers.

Original post on Instagram →

Three Council volunteers holding the Massachusetts Juneteenth Council banner in front of the Eternal Presence sculpture at the NCAAA Museum

Volunteer Day at the Museum

Council volunteers raise the Council banner before John Wilson’s Eternal Presence at the NCAAA Museum — a Volunteer Day preparing the grounds for the Juneteenth Emancipation Celebration.

Original post on Instagram →

Dr. Ali ABY Muhammed standing with Massachusetts 54th Regiment member J. Morgan Kuberry in Union uniform and a young regiment member

With the 54th Regiment

Dr. Muhammed (right) with Mass. 54th Regiment member J. Morgan Kuberry — both named in the Council’s own post, taken at the Museum.

Original post on Instagram →

What We Do

Freedom is a practice, not just a date

Three parts of the Council's work — the celebration itself, the history it teaches, and the people who march it forward.

The June 19 Celebration

The annual Juneteenth observance at the NCAAA Museum grounds in Roxbury — program, community, food, flowers, and remembrance, held on June 19.

See the events →

History Education

Black American history taught plainly — from emancipation to Galveston to Massachusetts' own 54th Regiment, the first Black regiment raised in the North.

Read June 19 history →

Parade Walkers

The Council's volunteer corps for the June parade. Walkers are recruited through the Council's volunteer listing — residents, youth, elders, and neighbors marching together.

Join the Walkers →

Signature Feature · June 19

What Juneteenth marks

Juneteenth marks the day freedom was finally announced to the last enslaved people in Texas — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Tap a year to walk the line.

1863 — The Emancipation Proclamation

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for enslaved people in the rebellious states. In practice, freedom depended on where Union authority reached — and in Texas, the news was delayed for years.

The Saint-Gaudens Memorial to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment on Boston Common

Massachusetts' Own

The 54th Massachusetts Regiment

Massachusetts carries its own emancipation history. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry — raised in Boston in 1863 and one of the first Black regiments organized in the North — proved on the field at Fort Wagner, South Carolina, what this Commonwealth's Black soldiers had always known. The Council's history work lifts up the 54th alongside the story of June 19: freedom declared, and freedom defended.

That is why the Council teaches Black American history and the 54th Regiment together — in flyers, in programs, and on the day itself.

54th Regiment — National Park Service → 54th Mass. Company A — Living History →

Community Network · Roxbury

The ground the Council stands on

The places and partners that hold Roxbury's Juneteenth — starting with the Museum grounds where the celebration lives.

01
Museum of the NCAAA
300 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury, MA — home grounds of the Council's Juneteenth celebration for four years
617-442-8614
02
Nubian Square
Dudley Street & Washington Street, Roxbury — the heart of Black Boston and the Council's home square
03
Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building
2300 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02118 — the civic anchor of Nubian Square
04
Visit Nubian Square, LLC
Parent organization — the Council is a DBA initiative of Visit Nubian Square, LLC
857-800-6078
05
Visit Roxbury MA
The destination guide to historic Roxbury — tours, landmarks, and the local restaurant network

City Hall · Veterans · Public Safety

Boston contacts for the Council

The offices the Council works with in Boston — the Mayor, veterans services at the city, state, and federal level, and the Boston Police — plus the official home of the 54th Regiment story. For any emergency, always call 911 first.

City of Boston · Mayor’s Office

Mayor of Boston — Michelle Wu

Mayor’s Office1 City Hall Square, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02201-2013
Mon–Fri, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone: 617-635-4500
Email: mayor@boston.gov
For non-emergency city services, call Boston 311 at 311 or 617-635-4500.

Mayor’s Office on Boston.gov →

Veterans Affairs · City, State & Federal

Veterans Services & VA Boston

City of Boston — Veterans’ Services26 Court Street, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-635-3026
Email: veterans@boston.gov · Appointments Mon–Fri, 8:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services15 New Chardon Street, One Bowdoin Square, Suite 400, Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-210-5480 · Toll-free: 888-844-2838
VA Boston Healthcare System150 S. Huntington Ave, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Phone: 617-232-9500
Veterans Crisis Line: call 988 and press 1.

Boston Veterans Resources → Mass. Veterans Services Offices → VA Boston Health Care →

Public Safety · Boston Police Department

Boston Police Department

Emergency: call 911For non-emergency city services, call Boston 311 at 311 or 617-635-4500.
BPD HeadquartersOne Schroeder Plaza, Boston, MA 02120
Phone: 617-343-4500
District B-2 — Roxbury2400 Washington Street, Boston, MA
Phone: 617-343-4270 — the district station for the Council’s home ground in Roxbury and Nubian Square.

BPD — When to Call 911 → District B-2 — Roxbury →

History · Massachusetts’ Own

The 54th Massachusetts Regiment

Follow the regiment’s story where it is kept officially: the Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial on Boston Common, cared for by the National Park Service, and the living-history soldiers of Company A, based in Hyde Park where the original regiment was formed — the same regiment members who march with the Council.

NPS — Shaw & the 54th Regiment → NPS — The Memorial on Boston Common → 54th Mass. Company A — Living History →

Events & Community

On the calendar

Annual markers shown as they stand. The Council's year builds toward one date: June 19.

June 19

Annual · Flagship

Juneteenth Celebration — NCAAA Museum

Roxbury's Juneteenth observance on the Museum grounds — the Council's flagship day, hosted there for four years, with the parade and community program.

Parade details on JoyRaft →

Spring

Nubian Square in Roxbury, where the Parade Walkers gather

Annual · Volunteers

Parade Walkers Recruitment

Each spring the Council reopens its Parade Walkers volunteer listing ahead of the June parade — sign up early to march, carry, guide, and greet.

June 26

Annual · Roxbury

Historical Preservation Day

A Roxbury day devoted to the buildings, landmarks, and stories this neighborhood has preserved — the history Juneteenth stands on.

Event Details & Sign-Ups

Find the Council on the portals

The Council's parade, event details, and volunteer sign-ups also live on the public portals where Boston finds its events. Every listing below is the Council's own — or its parent organization's — follow, RSVP, and sign up where you already have an account.

Tickets & RSVPs · Eventbrite

Eventbrite — Visit Nubian Square Tourism

The Council publishes through its parent organization on Eventbrite. Tours, talks, and Roxbury programs from Visit Nubian Square Tourism post there — follow the organizer page to catch Juneteenth-season listings as they go up.

Follow on Eventbrite →

Volunteer Sign-Up · VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch — Parade Walkers

The Council's own Parade Walkers listing: sign up to march in the Juneteenth Parade March — a public expression of unity, pride, remembrance, and progress — and to help the day run, from lineup to greeting guests.

Volunteer Sign-Up · Idealist

Idealist — Parade Walkers

The same Parade Walkers opportunity on Idealist — VolunteerMatch and Idealist are now one platform, so the Council's listing stands in both places. Pick whichever door you use and join the march.

View on Idealist →

Event Details · JoyRaft

JoyRaft — Mass Juneteenth Council Parade

The parade's event listing with the details in one place: June 19, 1:00–6:00 PM, free, at the National Center for Afro-American Artists Museum, 300 Walnut Ave, Roxbury — hosted by Visit Nubian Square.

See the JoyRaft listing →

Stories & Social

Follow the Council

Flyers on Black American history and the 54th Regiment, Juneteenth photos, and parade calls — follow the Council where it posts.

Join · Volunteer · Partner

March with the Council

Pick how you want to stand with the Council, then send it in one email — Parade Walker, partner organization, or sponsor.

No role picked yet — tap one above, or just send a general note.

Prefer the volunteer listing? Sign up as a Parade Walker on VolunteerMatch or Idealist — see all the Council's event portals.

Contact

Talk to the Council

Questions about June 19, the parade, a school visit, or a partnership — send an enquiry and it lands with the Council.

Mass. Juneteenth Council of America

Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts
Juneteenth home: Museum of the NCAAA, 300 Walnut Ave, Roxbury

857-800-6078

massjuneteenthcouncil@gmail.com

A DBA initiative of Visit Nubian Square, LLC.
Instagram: @massjuneteenthcouncil

Massachusetts Juneteenth Council of America

Chapters & Members

“The Massachusetts Juneteenth Council of America seeks to assist and support the organization and development of existing and new Juneteenth events and chapters in the State of Massachusetts.”

The Council’s stated purpose, as published by Visit Nubian Square, LLC

Start or Join a Chapter Back to the Council Home

Home Chapter

Where the Council sits

One seated chapter leads the work. Every other city on this page is a chapter forming — open now for the members who will build it.

Community members of all backgrounds seated together on the NCAAA Museum lawn for the Council's Juneteenth Emancipation Observance in Roxbury

Home Chapter

Boston — Roxbury

Seat: the grounds of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA), 300 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury.

The home chapter hosts the Council’s Juneteenth celebration at the Museum grounds — four years running — with the parade, the program, and the Parade Walkers volunteer corps, and it supports members organizing in their own cities across the Commonwealth.

Members: Roxbury and Boston residents, youth, elders, schools, churches, and community groups. Membership is open — join through the home chapter and march on June 19.

Join the Home Chapter

Across the Commonwealth

Chapters forming — city by city

Juneteenth is celebrated in cities across Massachusetts. In each city below, a Council chapter is forming and open for members — neighbors ready to organize and grow a local June 19 event with the Council’s support.

Western Massachusetts