A public Juneteenth holiday event will be presented free on Sunday, June 18, and Monday, June 19, from 11 am-4 pm each day in Washington Square, Newport, with family activities to celebrate our nation’s freedom and honor the enslaved heroes of our storied 1st RI “Black” Regiment.
The event features local and regional Continental militia in encampments at the Great Friends Meeting House grounds, demonstrations of colonial life and crafts, guest speakers and African and Indigenous tribal members, historic Colony House tours, live music, children’s crafts, games and hands-on African drum circle with master artist Sidy Maiga, an outdoor food court, and much more.
Our nation’s first integrated military unit was the 1st Rhode Island known as the “Black Regiment,” whose members were mostly enslaved African and Indigenous men who fought bravely to protect Rhode Island from British attack at the 1778 Battle of RI. They fought in 10 battles and marched 500 miles south to join General Washington’s forces to prevail at the Siege of Yorktown, the last battle of our Revolutionary War.
Visit www.rishm.org/Juneteenth for schedules and more information. Event partners are the City of Newport, Newport Historical Society, Discover Newport, Heritage Harbor Foundation, Bank Newport, Newport Rotary, Florence Gray Center, Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project, the Greater Newport County Chamber of Commerce, Clean Ocean Access, and more.
