There are a number of events to mark Juneteenth across North Texas, including Opal Lee’s famed Walk For Freedom.
DALLAS — Thursday marks 160 years since enslaved people in Galveston learned that they were free — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation — and four years since the annual commemoration of the event, Juneteenth, was made a federal holiday.
The driving force behind the effort to make Juneteenth a federal holiday was Opal Lee of Fort Worth, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts last year.
There are a number of events celebrating freedom to mark Juneteenth across North Texas, including Opal Lee’s famed Walk For Freedom.
Here are eight ways to commemorate Juneteenth in North Texas:
Opal’s Walk For Freedom
Opal Lee’s annual 2.5-mile walk commemorating the 2.5 years it took for the news of freedom to reach enslaved people in Texas will be June 19 at Farrington Field at 1501 University Drive in Fort Worth. For more information and to register, click here.
Freedom Vibes Festival Fort Worth
The inaugural Freedom Vibes Festival June 19-22, produced in partnership with the National Juneteenth Museum, features speakers, music, a block party, public art activations, educational opportunities, and more. For more information, click here.
Juneteenth Celebration at the African American Museum
The African American Museum in Dallas is hosting a free event with exhibits, live performances, and interactive activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 21. For more information, click here. The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum in Dallas will also offer free admission June 19.
Declarations of Freedom exhibit
The inaugural Declarations of Freedom exhibit at Fort Works Art in partnership with the National Juneteenth Museum features works by artists “whose practices are at the nexus of Juneteenth history and the ever-continuing process of liberation.” The exhibit runs through June 19. For more information, click here.
Juneteenth Freedom Fest
The free community event will feature live performances, local book authors, visual artists, food trucks, and other vendors from 1-5 p.m. June 22 at Tommie M Allen Recreation Center at 7071 Bonnie View Road in Dallas. For more information, click here.
Juneteenth: Back to the Roots event at Morney Berry Farm
The event will feature live music and performances as well as food from a variety of vendors “for a day filled with celebration, culture, and community” from noon to 4 p.m. June 19 at Morney Berry Farm at 455 Lancaster Hutchins Road in Hutchins. For more information, click here.
Juneteenth Fashion Show
The fourth-annual Juneteenth Fashion Experience at Legacy Hall’s Lexus Box Garden in Plano will feature “bold designs, powerful storytelling, and a tribute to the icons who have paved the way,” will start at 5 p.m. June 19. For more information, click here.
Juneteenth Golf Classic
The golf tournament, presented by the Dallas Mavericks, benefits the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce and will be hosted at the Golf Club of Dallas at 2200 W Red Bird Lane on June 19. For more information, click here.