Revere Human Rights Commission approves Juneteenth celebration at Costa Park on June 4

The Revere Human Rights Commission voted May 7 to hold a Juneteenth celebration at Costa Park on June 4 and to use the commission’s regular meeting time for the event. Commissioners agreed the date and location by voice vote and approved a motion giving the chair authority to finalize programming and vendor arrangements.

The commission discussed partners and programming during the meeting. Dr. Garcia and Director Morabito described planned educational elements with Revere Public Schools and the Juneteenth Association, including spoken-word performance and the Lift Every Voice anthem. Jan/ Jen Dumas, head of the Rubidoux Community Committee, told the commission her group could contribute $500 toward entertainment or food if the event is held at Costa Park. "I've been running the Sherle Ave Cultural Festival and other events in the Sherle Ave neighborhood for 14 years," Dumas said, offering experience and grant support.

Commissioners noted a Department of Engagement, Inclusion and Culture grant of $1,500 is available to help cover event expenses. They chose Costa Park in part because it is enclosed and would reduce the need for costly street closures and overtime for police or public works staff; organizers said they might still request an auxiliary officer to help with pedestrian crossings.

To expedite logistics, the commission approved a motion authorizing Chair Shayma Hashani to make certain culturally focused programming and vendor decisions without repeated formal votes. The commission also voted to schedule the celebration from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on June 4 so DPW staffing already assigned for the commission’s regular meeting would cover the event.

Next steps include filing for any required Licensing Board clearance (Director Morabito said he would present the application to the License Commission on May 20), finalizing a program and flyer, and sharing a collaborative planning document with stakeholders. The commission agreed to circulate weekly summaries of planning progress to avoid open-meeting-law issues from multi-recipient email threads.

Action records: commissioners passed a location motion to hold Juneteenth at Costa Park (voice vote), approved a motion to give the chair leeway on event logistics (voice vote), and set the event date for June 4, 5:00–7:30 p.m. (voice vote).