Juneteenth at the Academy Art Museum
Saturday, June 20 | 12 PM – 4 PM | Free and Open to All

 

Join the Academy Art Museum for its 16th annual Juneteenth celebration—a FREE, daylong event honoring the voices, history, and lived experiences of Easton’s historic Hill Community, one of the oldest free African American neighborhoods in the United States.

 

In partnership with Building African American Minds, Frederick Douglass Honor Society, and Talbot County Free Library, this year’s Juneteenth celebration will feature: 

• Gospel, choir and solo musical performances (plus a DJ outside!)
• Hands-on art activities 
• Local food vendors
• Featured lecture and exhibition by artist Tawny Chatmon 
• Oral histories and artifacts from the Chesapeake Heartland African American Humanities Truck
• Teen creativing writing showcase in partnership with Shore Lit
• Guided tour of the Hill neighborhood led by Yvonne Freeman—a descendant of The Hill Founding Father James Freeman
• Three screenings of Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise at Asbury United Methodist Church—presented by the Frederick Douglass Honor Society
• Community mural project led by Artist-in-Residence Esteban del Valle in collaboration with Talbot Mentors
• Scavenger hunt presented by the Talbot Historical Society
• Audio version of the closed loop AI Frederick Douglass from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s exhibition “Bear Me Into Freedom: The Talbot County of Frederick Douglass”
• Special atrium installation with artifacts uncovered from the site of the future Freeman Annex & Hormel Research Center 

 

Full schedule of events: 

Friday, June 19
Asbury United Methodist Church, 18 S. Higgins Street, Easton, MD 

3 p.m., 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m.  Showings of Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise (presented by the Frederick Douglass Honor Society) 

 

Saturday, June 20

Academy Art Museum, 106 South Street, Easton, MD 

12:00–12:25 p.m.  Trae Anthony Ministries Gospel Performance 

12:30–1:00 p.m.  Guided Tour of the Hill Community with Yvonne Freeman 

12:30–12:45 p.m. Bethel A.M.E. Church Choir 

12:45–1:00 p.m. 2026 Youth Essay Showcase with Shore Lit

1:15–1:25 p.m.  Musician Ruby Fisher, Academy Art Museum Teen Council Member

1:25-1:50 p.m. Musician Chenere Ramsey

1:50 p.m.  Presentation of Citation by the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture to Scotts United Methodist Church and Descendants of Nathaniel Hopkins in honor of their work organizing the Nace’s Day Emancipation Day festival 

2:00–2:30 p.m.  Musician Ayla Dennis

2:30–2:45 p.m.  Presentation by Chesapeake Heartland Project 

3:00–4:00 p.m.  Featured Lecture by Artist Tawny Chatmon 

MC: Jair Devereaux, director of finance and administration at Building African American Minds

 

Participating Vendors: 

Frederick Douglass Honor Society, Building African American Minds, Talbot County Free Library, Chesapeake Heartland African American Humanities Truck, Polaris Village Academy, Adkins Arboretum, Talbot Historical Society, Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, Talbot 250, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Talbot Interfaith Shelter, St. Michaels Community Center, Four All Seasons Inc., Tonight’s Memories, Double Rainbow Design, The King’s Daughter.

 

Food Vendors: 

Bethel A.M.E. Church, Buddy’s Eats and Treats, 4 Sisters Kabob and Curry, Just Juice 

 

Juneteenth Committee Members: 

Charlotte Potter Kasic, Director, Academy Art Museum 

Jair Devereaux, Director of Finance and Administration, Building African American Minds

Damika Baker, Vice President Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Group Lead, The Compass Group

Carolyn Hayman, Board Member, Frederick Douglass Honor Society 

Yvonne Freeman, Nace’s Day and Scotts United Methodist Church 

Dana Newman, Director, Talbot County Free Library 

Brenda Fike, Vice President, Academy Art Museum Board of Trustees 

Jazmine Gibson, Member, Academy Art Museum Board of Trustees 

Linette Hopkins, Academy Art Museum Visitor Services 

 

Thank you to our Sponsors:

Bette Kenzie
Morgan Stanley – The Talbot Group
Sue and Joe Bredekamp
Susan and Richard Granville
Bay Imprint

 

About Juneteenth
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when news of emancipation reached enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. It has long been celebrated as a day of freedom, resilience, and cultural expression within African American communities, and in 2021 it was officially recognized as a federal holiday through the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

Here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the story of emancipation is also marked by local traditions such as Nace’s Day in nearby Trappe—an annual celebration established in 1867 to honor the moment freedom was realized in this region following Maryland’s abolition of slavery in 1864. Together, these histories remind us that while freedom was declared nationally, it was experienced—and continues to be remembered—through the stories of individual communities.