Swampscott will host its Juneteenth celebration on Thursday, June 18, on the Town Hall Lawn.

The celebration will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and is co-hosted by the Swampscott Recreation Department, North Shore Juneteenth Association Inc., the Swampscott Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), and Swampscott Unites, Respects, and Embraces (SURE) Diversity.

Observed annually on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Although the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered in Virginia in April 1865, slavery remained largely intact in Texas.

On June 19, 1865, U.S. Gen. Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Texas by reading General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

As Black people migrated from Texas to other areas of the country, the Juneteenth traditions and celebrations spread. Texas became the first state to officially recognize Juneteenth in 1979, and it was designated a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law.

Swampscott’s celebration will feature food, live music, poetry, vendors, speakers and a flag-raising ceremony.

“Bring your friends, family, and neighbors all are welcome to celebrate freedom, history, and community together!” the town’s website reads.