Experience Galveston's historic connection with Juneteenth year-round!
When you head to Galveston this summer, you’ll be coming home to where it all began as the island hosts festivities to celebrate Juneteenth – a holiday that originated in this historic beach town.
pictured: Juneteenth Festival
The Birthplace of Juneteenth, Galveston Island holds a special place in United States and African American history. But the richness of this history goes well beyond celebrating Emancipation. From being home to the first historically African American secondary school and public library in Texas to being the hometown of World Heavyweight Champ Jack Johnson, Galveston has long fought to preserve the knowledge of African American accomplishments and heritage on the island, holding dear the many historic sites and monuments that live on to tell the story.
Relive the history of African American Texans that is not taught in history books! Explore historical Galveston sites where freedom for all enslaved Texans began on Juneteenth, June 19, 1865! For Juneteenth Freedom Trail Tour tickets, click here.
Galveston’s Juneteenth Exibit “And Still We Rise…” is located in the carriage house of the 1859 Ashton Villa and overseen by Galveston Historical Foundation’s African American Heritage Committee, introduces the context and consequences of that announcement from 1865 to the present day, in a long journey towards “absolute equality.”
The Nia Cultural Center offers a journey through African American history from the 1800s to the present day. The gallery features sculptures and paintings by local Black artists, plus a reflection area.
In Galveston, you can explore African American history in living color thanks to a new interactive tour app. The tour, found here, allows visitors to take a self-guided journey to learn about the island’s many historically black institutions and monuments celebrating black accomplishments.
Take this self-guided Freedom Walk to learn about 5 historic sites and their importance to Juneteenth. From Pier 21 and the Middle Passage marker to Galveston's historic Ashton Villa, you'll learn more about Juneteenth with this tour!
The Juneteenth Brown Bag Lecture Series hosted by Visit Galveston and tourism partners across the island will help us celebrate the history of Juneteenth year-round with guest speakers, writers or historians who will educate and discuss the history of Juneteenth.
Click the image to see future dates for the Juneteenth Brown Bag Lecture Series
Future dates will take place the second Saturday of each month at noon during 2023 across the island at a different attraction to increase the exposure of each site and allow visitors a chance to learn more about the history of the island.
The much-anticipated “Absolute Equality” mural, which illustrates the journey of Black Americans out of slavery into freedom, was dedicated during a ceremony on Juneteenth in Galveston in 2021. You can visit this mural anytime at 2201 Strand St.
The 5,000 square-foot mural, created by Houston-based Reginald C. Adams, was painted on the side of the Old Galveston Square building, located at 22nd and Strand in downtown Galveston. The massive art installation was an initiative of the Juneteenth Legacy Project, an organization that aimed to raise awareness about Juneteenth and contribute to a growing push to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In June of 2021, this goal became a reality when Juneteenth was officially announced as a federal holiday.
Juneteenth, or June 19, marks the day in 1865 that 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.
