HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - People in Hampton Roads are coming together to celebrate an important part of American history, Juneteenth.
This dayis the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
Gov. Ralph Northam spent the morning at Fort Monroe for a special event. There was a large crowd and about a dozen speakers, along with musical performances.
Growing up in the Deep South, local resident Vernita Baldwin said she witnessed segregation firsthand. She said she remembers walking with her grandparents and they were not permitted to look white people in the eye back in the 1950s.
She said was overcome when she learned thatJuneteenth is now a national holiday and said she's delighted for both her grandparents, children and grandchildren to come.
"For me, this is a moment in time that I never thought I’d live to see," said Baldwin. "As an African American, I have an obligation to come out and be present in this moment because it’s so historic. It’s so way past due."
Northam said Juneteenth marks the end of the brutal system of slavery in our country, which is a huge milestone, and he said it needs to be celebrated by all Americans.
He said the end of slavery wasn’t the end of racism, violence or Black oppression but said we are still working our way towards improvement.
To celebrate Juneteenth, several local cities are closing offices to observe the holiday. Here's a list of cities with changes in hours of operations.
Chesapeake
In Observance of the Juneteenth Holiday, all City offices, courts, community centers, and the Chesapeake Visitor Center will be CLOSED on Friday, June 18. All Chesapeake Public Libraries will be CLOSED on Friday, June 18, and Saturday, June 19. There will be no changes to the trash or recycling collection schedules.
Hampton
Most city offices will be closed Friday for Juneteenth. There will be no regular trash pickup on Friday, Also, circuit and district court, along with most state offices, will be closed. Click here for a full list of offices and activity closures.
Newport News
City Offices will be closed Friday. Libraries will be closed both Friday and Saturday.
Garbage, recycling, and bulk waste collections will continue as scheduled.
Recovery Operations Center, such as landfill, will also be closed Friday and Saturday.
Norfolk
The City of Norfolk’s offices will close on Friday, June 18 in observance of Juneteenth. The closures include libraries and recreation centers. City offices will reopen on Monday, June 21.
The Norfolk Courthouse, the Commissioner of the Revenue, the Treasurer’s Office and the Norfolk Department of Public Health will close Friday, June 18. These offices will also reopen on Monday, June 21.
Waste Management will collect trash on Friday, June 18. Requests for bulk waste collection on Friday, June 18 must be made before 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 17. To schedule bulk waste collection, call Norfolk Cares at (757) 664-6510, submit a service request via the MyNorfolk app or visit the MyNorfolk online portal.
Norfolk residents can drop-off unwanted E-waste on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 8 a.m. – noon at the Division of Towing and Recovery located at 1188-A Lance Road.
Portsmouth
The City of Portsmouth’s municipal offices, including libraries and recreation centers, will be closed on Friday, June 18.
Trash Collection: There will be no trash, recycling, or bulk collections on Friday, June 18. All Friday routes will be collected in advance on Wednesday, June 16.
Libraries will be closed on Friday and Saturday.
The Portsmouth Museums have reopened three of its five museums: The Children’s Museum of Virginia, the Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum which will operate with normal schedules on June 18 and June 19.
Recreation centers will be closed on Friday and will reopen on Monday, June 21.
Parks will be operating with normal hours, from dawn to dusk.
Suffolk
Suffolk City offices and libraries will be closed Friday and operations will resume Monday, June 21, at 8:30 a.m.
Suffolk Public Works Department will pick up trash as scheduled for the period of June 15 through June 18. TFC Recycling will also conduct their normal recycling collection routes.
The Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) Transfer Station in Suffolk and the Regional Landfill will be closed on Saturday.
All Suffolk Parks & Recreation joint use recreation facilities (Mack Benn Jr., Booker T. Washington, Kings Fork, Creekside, Northern Shores, and Oakland) will be closed Friday. The East Suffolk Recreation Center and Whaleyville Recreation Center will be closed Friday. The admin office will also be closed Friday too.
Suffolk’s four major parks will be open, but there will be no park attendant on Friday.
Cypress Park Pool will open for public swim from 2 p.m. to 6.p.m, Tuesdays through Sundays, beginning Saturday, June 19.
The Suffolk Art Gallery will be closed Friday.
This list will be updated as information is received.
Virginia Beach
- No change to Friday's waste collection schedule (Waste Management administrative offices will be closed)
- Landfill and Resource Recovery Center and West Neck Recycling Center will be open Friday, June 18 and closed on Saturday, June 19
- Public Libraries will be closed June 18, open June 19
- Visitor Information Center at 2100 Parks Ave. will be open June 18, closed June 19
Williamsburg
Williamsburg will observe Juneteenth on Friday, June 18. All city offices will be closed, including, offices in the Municipal Building on Lafayette Street, Williamsburg Regional Library administrative offices in the Stryker Center, and the Williamsburg-James City County Courthouse on Monticello Avenue.
Waller Mill Park will follow normal operating hours, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Quarterpath Recreation Center has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic.
For water emergencies after hours, weekends, and holidays, please call 757-220-2331. Need to pay a City bill when offices are closed? A convenient 24-hour bill payment drop box is located at the front of the Municipal Building, 401 Lafayette St., for City transactions. Payments can also be made online. Dropbox payments made on Friday, June 18 will not be posted until Monday, June 21.
Related: Celebrating Juneteenth: A list of events in Hampton Roads for the 2021 holiday
