Today we honor Juneteenth
An Andover Story
Today, June 19, 2020, we honor Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
On June 19,1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended, and that the enslaved were now free - two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863.
Today, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued a proclamation declaring June 19, 2020 as “Juneteenth Independence Day” in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Celebrated each year on June 19th, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, and is an opportunity to reflect on the need to continue working toward racial justice.
You can learn more about Juneteenth here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/national-archives-locates-handwritten-juneteenth-order-180975143/
https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
Meet an Andover father and daughter who made history
ACHC #1938.015.1
Andover resident and entrepreneur Allen Hinton, who after purchasing his freedom came to Andover, started a family and launched an ice cream business that thrived in Andover until the 1930s.
ACHC #1938.015.3
Alice Hinton, Allen Hinton’s daughter, who succeeded her father as head of his ice cream business in Andover, gave an address to the 1915 Annual Convention of the National Negro Business League.
You can read Alice Hinton's 1915 address to the Annual Convention of the National Negro Business League here. Click on the link and enter "Hinton" into the search term.
On this day, we at the Andover Center for History and Culture affirm that Black Lives Matter.
We acknowledge that the study of history has not equitably collected, preserved, or shared the stories of people of color and other marginalized populations.
We commit to work hard to do better for our community, to collect and share the stories of all people in Andover, because sharing our stories helps build stronger, engaged communities. Our stories help us know each other.
We will continue to serve our mission to seek out and share the stories of Andover residents whose lives were undocumented, untold, or erased.