Juneteenth Birthplace

Juneteenth celebrations continue this Sunday at Groundswell / Galveston's Own Farmers Market.

Stop by on June 28 from 9 AM to noon to connect, learn, pick up your weekly groceries, and spend time with community partners honoring Juneteenth.

Community partners include:
🖤 Nia Cultural Center, Inc
💚 Galveston Alphas, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Gamma Pi Lambda Chapter
💛 Ctrl+Create
❤️ Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Alpha Tau Zeta Chapter

Details at: www.visitgalveston.com/events/celebrate-juneteenth-at-gofm/

This weekend brings another way to gather and honor Juneteenth. The second annual Juneteenth Gospel Western Extravaganza is happening Friday, June 27, from 5 to 7 PM at the Wilbrydge Reception Center, with gospel music, western style, and community at the center of it all.

Tickets are $25 per person, and tables of eight are $200. See more at: www.visitgalveston.com/events/juneteenth-gospel-western-extravaganza/

This Sunday at The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston Symphony Orchestra presents GSO Juneteenth: Her Voice, Her Story.

The concert features music by Black women composers Jessie Montgomery, Undine Smith Moore, and Florence Price, followed by Mary Lou Williams’ complete Zodiac Suite, a jazz and classical work connected to names like Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Art Tatum.

Sunday, June 21 from 4-6 PM.

Her Voice, Her Story: Annual Juneteenth Celebration at The Grand 1894 Opera House | Visit Galveston Experience an unforgettable celebration at Galveston’s historic The Grand 1894 Opera House. Her Voice, Her Story brings you an evening honoring the Black women

Today, June 18 at 6 PM, Friends of the Texas Historical Commission will host Juneteenth: A Texas Freedom Story, a virtual program exploring the Texas history behind Juneteenth and its lasting legacy.

The discussion will feature Samuel Collins III and Ed Cotham, who will share more about the story that began in Galveston and continues to be remembered across generations.

Register here:

Juneteenth: A Texas Freedom Story - Friends of THC Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, marking a long‑delayed […]

This Friday the Galveston Island Juneteenth Music Festival & Fireworks returns to Menard Park for a free celebration in the birthplace of Juneteenth.

The day includes community tributes, youth recognition, cultural activities, vendors, and live music performances.

It ends with the City of Galveston, Texas - Government fireworks along the Seawall at 9:15 PM.

The event is free and open to the public at Menard Park, 2222 28th St. Learn more: www.visitgalveston.com/events/galveston-island-juneteenth-music-festival-fireworks/

Juneteenth: Voices of Freedom is happening Thursday, June 18 at The Bryan Museum - Galveston.

The evening brings together poetry, music, local artists, authors, businesses, and community organizations for a celebration of Black voices and Galveston’s long connection to Juneteenth.

Learn more: www.visitgalveston.com/events/juneteenth-voices-of-freedom-at-the-bryan-museum/

The Galveston Island Juneteenth Festival & Celebration is happening now until 8pm. What a beautiful day to celebrate.

Join us for the 5th Annual Emancipation Gospel Celebration at The Grand 1894 Opera House.

With performances by Karen Clark Sheard, Byron Cage, and The Brown Four, we’ll honor freedom, faith, and the legacy of Black excellence.

Help us celebrate 161 years of resilience, joy, and community 😍 Tickets: www.thegrand.com/shows/emancipation-gospel-celebration/

The Galveston Island Juneteenth Festival & Celebration is this Saturday at Menard Park. The free event runs from 1 to 8 PM with food vendors, local vendors, music, and live entertainment throughout the day.

🎟️ Free to attend
📍 Menard Park, 2222 28th Street

Lawn chairs are welcome. More at: www.visitgalveston.com/events/the-galveston-island-juneteenth-festival-celebration/

The Galveston Giant, Jack Johnson, died on this day in 1946. Johnson was born on Galveston Island in 1878 and started boxing as a teenager. He became the first Black world heavyweight champion in 1908.

Johnson's life wasn't one free from conflict outside of the ring. On October 18, 1912, he was arrested under the Mann Act, which barred "transporting women across state lines for immoral purposes," over his relationship with Lucille Cameron, a white woman he would soon marry. That case fell apart when Cameron refused to testify. Prosecutors re-arrested him weeks later and built a new case around a former partner, Belle Schreiber. An all-white jury convicted him in 1913. He fled the country and fought abroad for years before returning, surrendering, and serving his sentence. Johnson received a presidential pardon in 2018.

Jack Johnson's life fills more than a post can give credit to. Filmmaker Ken Burns looked at Johnson's life in his documentary Unforgivable Blackness and says Johnson's story is the "embodiment of the African-American struggle to be truly free in this country: economically, socially, and politically. He absolutely refused to play by the rules set by the white establishment, or even those of the black community. In that sense, he fought for freedom not just as a black man, but as an individual."

Jack Johnson: Galveston Giant & First African American Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, nicknamed the Galveston Giant, was a groundbreaking boxer who became the first African American world heavyweight champion. Born in Galveston, ...