The federal holiday of Juneteenth this year brought a small crowd to the steps of Springfield's city hall on Friday for an annual commemoration and Juneteenth Flag Raising lead by city Mayor Domenic Sarno.
Among the speakers was Massachusetts State Rep. Bud Williams, House Chair on the state's Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion.
He said he didn't want to deaden the spirit of celebrating the end of slavery in the U.S., but his speech rang an alarm about the potential loss of voting rights, under the current president.
"We need people to get out here in the streets like the old warriors used to do and they had far worse conditions than we did. Limited education, limited attorneys, limited money. But you know what? Doctor [Martin Luther] King flipped the system," Williams said. "We can flip this system, but we're going to have to vote. "
People died for the right for Black Americans to be able to vote Williams said, adding that these are "serious times in this country."
"If you don't think it can happen to you, it can," he said.
Williams mentioned several local and national Civil Rights leaders, including Ben Swann and Jay Griffin who both died this year.
The holiday commemorates more than 250,000 slaves in Texas learning about their freedom on June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
In Massachusetts, Juneteenth was celebrated as a state holiday for the first time in 2021, following a law signed in July 2020 by former Gov. Charlie Baker.
Also at the event were U.S. Congressman Richard Neal, State Representative Carlos Gonzalez, Police Superintendent Larry Akers, the city's Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Judi Crowell and City Councilors Lavar Click Bruce and Malo Brown.
