Celebrate and honor the legacy of Juneteenth in the historic beach town where it actually happened at a day packed with dignity, honor, celebration, and fun at free events on Galveston Island on Juneteenth, Saturday, June 19, 2021.
Juneteenth marks the date that news of the Emancipation Proclamation first reached Texas and was read aloud in Galveston on June 19, 1865—two years after becoming U.S. law.
Just voted in as an official national holiday by Congress this week, the 156th anniversary of the original Juneteenth in Galveston takes on even greater significance in 2021.
The island community has long honored the date and its history with ceremonies, dinners, celebrations, and more. This year, with maskless in-person gatherings returning thanks to increasing numbers of vaccinated Americans, commemorations and celebrations are even more special than ever before.
Juneteenth 2021 Commemorations & Celebrations on Galveston Island
- 42nd Annual Al Edwards Celebration & Emancipation Proclamation Reading at 1859 Ashton Villa | FREE – Take in a live reading of General Order No. 3, which declared that all slaves in the U.S. were now free on the original Juneteenth, at the island’s official Juneteenth holiday monument at the historic Ashton Villa. 10am.
- Juneteenth Absolute Equality Mural Dedication in Galveston | FREE – The Juneteenth Legacy Project dedicates the newest vivid mural from artist Reginald C. Adams, adorned across the wall of the Osterman Building on 19th Street where General Order No. 3 was read aloud. This event will also include speakers and performers, including Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. 11:30am.
- Galveston Juneteenth Parade on Galveston Island & Picnic at Wright Cuney Park | FREE – Celebrate Juneteenth with a parade complete with floats, marching bands, and performers that heads up Ball Street from 26th to 41st streets, culminating at Wright Cuney Park for a picnic. Parade begins at 1pm; event ends at 4pm.
- Galveston Island Juneteenth Festival at Kermit Courville Stadium | FREE – This celebration of freedom on the Island invites the public to check out food vendors, Black artists, entrepreneurs, and enjoy live music and other family friendly activities. 2pm to 7pm.
- Reedy Chapel’s Annual Historic Juneteenth March Re-enactment at Old Galveston Courthouse | FREE – Recalling the first celebration of emancipation in 1866 that brought a group of over 800 men, women, and children marching down the streets, Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church commemorates the event with a march re-enactment where the public is free to join in on the 3.5-block walk from the Old Galveston County Courthouse to the Church on Broadway Avenue. 6pm.
- Juneteenth Fireworks above Galveston Island | FREE – Bask in a special Saturday night Juneteenth fireworks show over Galveston, celebrating the newly designated national holiday. 8:30pm.
Ongoing Celebrations of African American History on Galveston Island
- Self-Guided African American History Tour | FREE – Juneteenth only begins to scratch the surface of African American history on Galveston Island. Many historic African American sites, monuments, churches, and landmarks dot Galveston’s historic downtown and can be visited at no charge. Explore a detailed tour of Galveston’s African American history or to download a copy of the guidebook Galveston’s African American Historic Places & Pioneers, prepared by the Old Central Cultural Center and Galveston Historical Foundation’s African-American Heritage Committee.
Galveston’s Connection to Juneteenth
Juneteenth originated in the historic beach town on June 19, 1865 when Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, which announced the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state of Texas—one of the last groups of slaves to be freed in the United States.
The city is also home to the first historically black secondary school and public library in Texas, is the hometown of World Heavyweight Champ Jack Johnson, and features several historically black churches that were established as firsts for Texas.
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