Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston (BGCGH), in conjunction with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, will host a national livestreamed webinar at Galveston’s Reedy Chapel AME Church on Thursday, June 16 from noon to 2 p.m. CT to celebrate the historical significance of Juneteenth, which had its origin in Galveston. Reedy Chapel was one of the locations in which General Order #3 was read on June 19, 1865, announcing the end of slavery in Texas.

Led by BGCGH staff and members of the Johnny Mitchell Club on Galveston Island, the agenda for the two-hour event includes opening remarks from BGCGH President and CEO Kevin Hattery; a musical performance; a presentation by the Society of African American Professionals; Juneteenth remarks; Boys & Girls Clubs Juneteenth Story; and a youth performance. Specifics on some of these events are pending.

Another Juneteenth highlight for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston is the United/BEACON Freedom Flight with United Airlines on the same day as the webinar. United is showing its commitment to the next generation of aviators from Houston area schools by taking a group of 20 11th and 12th grade students from Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston on a unique, 90-minute charter flight over Galveston Island in recognition of Juneteenth.

The Freedom Flight is designed to spark interest in aviation and help grow a talent pipeline of future United employees. The flight originates from Bush Intercontinental Airport and will pass over the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston, with education provided on the history of the holiday through narration. Upon return, the youth will attend information sessions and get tours of the airport. The event supports one of the core pillars of BGCGH – workforce readiness.

“We are honored to lead the national, live-streamed webinar for Boys & Girls Clubs of America to celebrate Juneteenth at Reedy Chapel, which has a special place in history for the African American community,” says Hattery. “The event also reinforces our corporate value of Diversity, Equity Inclusion in all that we do, as well as amplifying programming aimed to educate and influence social change.”

“United Airlines is to be commended for giving our high school students an amazing opportunity to fly over Galveston Island and Reedy Chapel AME in recognition of Juneteenth,” continues Hattery. “The company is an important partner for our workforce readiness initiative, in which teens learn about jobs and careers in many fields, including aviation.”

Hattery notes that Reedy Chapel was the first African Methodist Episcopal church in Texas, which started as a church for Black slaves in 1848. It also served as a school, educating freed men and women. Reedy was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1885 and has survived numerous hurricanes from 1900 on. A historical marker for the church was erected in 1975 by the Texas Historical Commission.

Additional Juneteenth events are planned in Galveston in which Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston staff and members, along with officials from Boys & Girls Clubs of America, will participate. These include a special church service at Reedy Chapel on June 19 at 11 a.m. and an Emancipation March/parade in Galveston later that day. Galveston City and County officials will also be on hand.

To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, please visit www.bgcgh.org.