Two-day festival to mark 150th Juneteenth
Emancipation Park — the city’s first park — is set to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth with a two-day music and community festival.
Mayor Sylvester Turner made the announcement during a press conference Monday at the park, with Emancipation Park Conservancy board chairman Ramon Manning, Kinder Foundation board chairman Rich Kinder, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Jackie Bostic, great-granddaughter of park founder Jack Yates.
The event, which will be held June 18 and 19, will feature musical performers including Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Sheila E., Kool & The Gang, The Isley Brothers and gospel artists Earnest Pugh, Monica Lisa
Stevenson, Pastor Mike Jr. and Zacardi Cortez.
“We are standing on sacred ground. The oldest park in Houston reflects the beauty and resiliency of its founders,” Turner said.
The event comes as the U.S. recognizes Juneteenth as a national holiday for the second year. Juneteenth, once known as Jubilee Day, honors June 19, 1865, in which enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom. The effort to make it a national holiday was led by Jackson Lee and Sen. John Cornyn. The late State Rep. Al Edwards, known as “Mr. Juneteenth,” helped make it a state holiday in 1980.
There’s also a move to bring recognition to the proposed Emancipation Trail, a 51-mile route from Galveston to Houston, along which former enslaved families migrated to build their lives.
“This park has been here to help us to remember what it’s all about. It’s all about freedom,” Bostic said.
Emancipation Park was founded by former enslaved men who raised $1,000 to buy 10 acres of land in 1872.
In addition to musical performers, the festival will feature local vendors, a resource fair and community-impact discussions. Also, $150,000 in mini-grants will be awarded to community organizations. The Kinder Foundation is the festival’s presenting sponsor.