Members of the Texas Southern University community will honor Juneteenth at several events throughout the month on campus and in the Houston region.

Juneteenth celebrates the day that slaves in Galveston, TX, were notified of their freedom. On June 19, 1865, General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced the end of slavery. However, this news came almost two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

Texas Southern University alumnus and former state representative, the late Al Edwards (’66), initiated legislation to establish Juneteenth as a holiday in Texas. As a freshman state representative, Edwards, commonly known as “Mr. Juneteenth,” introduced the holiday under House Bill 1016.

This year, the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs is commemorating Juneteenth by launching the TSU Juneteenth Statewide Calendar and Website. This website will be a resource for Juneteenth events around the state of Texas, and to share events year-round that honor the Juneteenth spirit.

A list of Juneteenth events either sponsored by or involving Texas Southern University is below:

Emancipation Conversations Talk: Policing Communities of Color Tuesday, June 14, 2022, 6-9 p.m., at Emancipation Park (sponsored by the Emancipation Park Conservancy)

Founding Director of TSU’s Center for Justice Research, Dr. Howard Henderson, joins Harris County Court #15 Judge Tonya Jones, PJ Floyd (brother of the late George Floyd), and Emancipation Park Conservancy Director of Programs and Strategic Partnerships, Dr. Whitney Threadcraft, to discuss policing and the current state of our communities. Register here for this event.

Juneteenth – Freedom Work (in-person and virtual discussion) Friday, June 17, 2022; 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hudspeth Auditorium, Rice University

Join the Texas Southern University National Alumni Association, the Prairie View A&M University National Alumni Association, and the Rice University Association of Rice Alumni to celebrate Juneteenth with three panels exploring ideas and questions central to the holiday. For additional information: https://diversity.rice.edu/juneteenth

In Person: Hudspeth Auditorium, Glasscock School of Continuing Studies

Tickets are free and required for the in-person event. Reserve a seat here: https://bit.ly/3GikKN9

Online via Zoom: Register here: https://bit.ly/3lODb2y

Mayor Turner’s 9th Annual Acres Homes Juneteenth Parade Saturday, June 18, 2022, 10 a.m.-noon; Acres Homes Multi-Service Center (6719 W. Montgomery)

KTSU 90.9FM will emcee the parade as the official radio sponsor of the 9th Annual Acres Homes Juneteenth Parade, hosted by Mayor Sylvester Turner. For more information, click here.

“TSU Juneteenth Statewide Calendar” Saturday, June 18, 2022, 4-5 p.m. (Reception), 5-7 p.m. (Roundtable Discussion)

This is an inaugural launching of the Juneteenth Texas Statewide Calendar & Website. This inaugural launch event will be an annual Juneteenth celebration. This will be a hybrid event. The reception will be followed by a roundtable discussion. The panelists for the roundtable discussion are State Rep. Ron Reynolds, David Lee Edwards (Rep. Al Edwards’ brother), and several others. Dr. Merline Pitre (Houston Historical Society, former TSU professor of history, and noted author) will speak briefly before the roundtable discussion.

The inaugural launching of the Juneteenth Texas Statewide Calendar & Website is in honor of the legislation spearheaded by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and passed by 46th U.S. President Joe Biden. It is also in honor of State Representative Al Edwards who sponsored House Bill 1016 in the 66th Texas Legislature making Juneteenth an official holiday in the state of Texas in 1980. This holiday commemorates the end of slavery. TSU embraces Juneteenth and calls for all HBCUs – in Texas and around the country – to join us in making Juneteenth monumental, painting a picture that will forever stun the American public and the world.

Emancipation Park 150th Juneteenth Celebration, presented by Kinder Foundation Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19, 2022, 4-10 p.m. each day

KTSU 90.9FM hosts the main stage at Emancipation Park’s 150th Juneteenth Celebration, presented by Kinder Foundation, which will be the largest event in the Park’s history. This once in a lifetime occasion highlights the Park’s legacy and sets the stage for the next 150 years. Live performances by the Isley Brothers, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Kook and the Gang, and Sheila E. The celebration opens on Saturday with a ceremony acknowledging Juneteenth and Emancipation Park’s history. Throughout the day attendees will have access to local vendors, interactive kid zones and much more. Click here for more information.

Juneteenth: The Journey to Freedom Sunday, June 19, 8:30-11 p.m., Miller Outdoor Theatre

Join with official radio partner KTSU 90.9FM for a brilliant performance filled with dramatic visuals, live music, narrations, and dance that tells the story of African Americans from 1865 to today and their journey to the celebration of freedom. Presented in partnership with Miller Outdoor Theatre, Houston First and City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. Additionally, this performance will be livestreamed. You can choose to watch it on the Miller Outdoor Theater website here, the YouTube Channel here, or https://www.facebook.com/milleroutdoor Facebook here

“The Sound of Freedom: A Juneteenth Celebration” Saturday, June 25, 2022, 3 p.m.

Dr. Jason Oby, Chairman of the Texas Southern University Department of Music, has curated an exciting program for the Houston Ebony Opera Guild’s next concert. Serving as the finale for our region’s 2022 observance of Juneteenth, the program is entitled “The Sound of Freedom: A Juneteenth Celebration.” The program will feature art songs and arrangements of African American spirituals by contemporary and pioneering composers renowned for their work in those genres. Dr. Gwendolyn Alfred, soprano and coordinator of the voice faculty will also be prominently featured on the program. This concert will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 25, 2022, at the historic Antioch Baptist Church - Downtown, 500 Clay Street, Houston, Texas 77002. Admission is free, with donations gratefully accepted.

For additional information, call Dr. Oby at 713-313-7263 or the Guild’s office at 713-335-3800.