Fitchburg will host a Juneteenth celebration today at the city’s Senior Center with performances, discussions, poetry, and a ceremonial raising of a flag.
The celebration is one of many across the greater Madison area throughout the week. In Fitchburg, where the event will be held a few days before Juneteenth, this celebration is looking to bring the community together to celebrate. It will feature three distinct performances from local talents centered on the holiday.
“It’s a special time for us to come together to honor the event, the meaning of Juneteenth, pay homage to our ancestors, for those who we’ve stood on the shoulders in the past to get for all of us to be where we are today, but to take time together and acknowledge that and celebrate it,” said Janice Hughes, a member of Fitchburg’s Commission of Aging.
The event will span three hours, during which local songstress Michelle Bozeman-Brown and poet Sarah Be will perform. WKOW-TV 27 anchorperson Brandon Taylor will be the emcee and historian Dr. Charles Taylor will be the keynote speaker. 
Taylor is most notably from the bunch. Dr. Taylor has been a longtime proponent of the movement to make Juneteenth a national holiday. He is the author of the book, “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom,” which he presented to governors around the country who declared the day either a state holiday or observance.
In addition to the lineup, a Juneteenth flag will be raised that will remain up through the end of the month.
“In Madison, sometimes it’s up the very first day of June and may stay there for a while. We felt this was a great time while we’re having this event and we’re celebrating,” Hughes said. “We want to raise the flag, so after the event, we’ll all come out to where we raised our flag and then have the proclamation.”
Fitchburg’s Juneteenth celebration will be held this afternoon from 1-3 p.m at the Fitchburg Senior Center, 5510 Lacy Rd. It is free to attend, but registration is required. Registration can be made online or via phone call at 608-270-4290.
