The following is a news release from the City of Georgetown, TX
The Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association will host the 70th annual Juneteenth celebration in Georgetown Saturday, June 18, at the Georgetown Community Center, 445 E. Morrow St., in San Gabriel Park. The theme for this free, community event is “Continuing to Share the Journey of Juneteenth and Freedom.”
Juneteenth Event Schedule
The event starts at 11 a.m. with a special program featuring guest speaker Dr. Malissa Sanon, director of Student and Inclusion and Diversity at Southwestern University. The special program concludes at noon and is followed by a Juneteenth Festival until 3 p.m.
Festivities from noon to 3 p.m. include live entertainment by DJ Eric Sampson, Smooth, and EZ Dance of Texas, as well as vendor booths, youth activities, a silent auction, bingo, barbecue, and more.
Juneteenth Children’s Event
GCCMA has partnered with the Georgetown Public Library to offer a self-guided story walk June 12 through 19 in the Children’s Room of the Library, 402 W. Eighth St. Youth will learn why Juneteenth is celebrated in Texas, featuring the book, “Opal Lee and What it Means to be Free,” by Alice Faye Duncan, as well as arts and crafts.
Juneteenth History
Juneteenth marks the day on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed at Galveston and reported that the Civil War was over and slavery had ended. The Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves had been in effect since January 1, 1863, but word did not reach Texas for more than two years. Juneteenth was declared an official state holiday in Texas in 1980.
Contact information
For more information, please contact Alma Allen-Johnson at JohnsonAlma2000@yahoo.com.
GCCMA’s mission is to educate, preserve, and celebrate African American history and culture. For more information, visit gccmatx.org.
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