Juneteenth Flag Raising Ceremony

Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association to host Juneteenth Flag Raising Celebration

MVCMA — The Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (MVCMA) invites all to join in a special flag raising celebration of Juneteenth at the Tabernacle in Trinity Park, Oak Bluffs, MA on Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 11am.

Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday that commemorates the day enslaved people in Texas, and later the rest of the United States, learned of their freedom. It is celebrated annually on June 19th, the day in 1865 that Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce that all enslaved people in the state were free. 

The event will begin with a welcome from MVCMA Board President Sherrie Saint-Amant. 

Speakers will include Dr. Lorna Andrade, a representative of The Cottagers, Inc. The Cottagers, Inc. is a historic 501(3) non-profit charitable organization formed by African-American women homeowners on Martha’s Vineyard.

This will be followed by remarks from Dr. Robert Tankard, educator, administrator and TV host, who hails from Martha’s Vineyard. He has worked to improve the lives of islanders in many capacities. He will speak as a member of the board of trustees for the MV Diversity Coalition and as the MV Veterans Outreach Advocate.

James “Jamie” Harris will read “Fury & Faith” by Amanda Gorman. A long-time resident of Oak Bluffs, Harris is a familiar and reassuring face to anyone who has had to use the surgical services of MVH. Jamie has performed in many theatrical productions on MV.

A group singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will precede the flag raising.  

The flag raising will be conducted by Kim Jones, member of The Cottagers and MVCMA Board Director, and Larry Jones, Director of Outreach for the Martha's Vineyard African American Heritage Trail.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information and updates about MVCMA events visit www.mvcma.org.

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