Juneteenth

Attendees parade down the street during Opal's Walk for Freedom on June 19, 2025, from Farrington Field and back in a two and a half mile loop in Fort Worth.

Hundreds of Texans walk for Opal Lee at her annual Fort Worth Juneteenth celebration

The day became a federal holiday June 17, 2021, with Lee in attendance as President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth bill into law. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Biden in May 2024.

Akwete Tyehimba, co-owner of the Pan-African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center, pictured at the Pan-African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center.

Arts & Culture

For Juneteenth, this new doc honors the legacy of Dallas’ Pan African Connection Bookstore

Zara Amaechi

At the Pan-African Connection explores the South Dallas institution’s role in shaping Dallas’ Black history

Opal Lee, center, prepares for her 2½-mile Walk for Freedom in Fort Worth June 18, 2022. For years, Lee advocated for Juneteenth — also known as Jubilee Day and Emancipation Day — to become a federal holiday.

Arts & Culture

Hospital stay throws Opal Lee off her pace for annual Walk for Freedom

David Moreno | Fort Worth Report

“Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee, recovering from a recent hospitalization, will not participate in her annual Walk for Freedom event in Fort Worth, according to family.

“Declarations of Freedom,” curated by Lauren Cross and Christopher Blay, celebrates the “ever-continuing process of freedom” with historical artifacts and photos alongside contemporary artworks.

Arts & Culture

National Juneteenth Museum starts celebrations early with first Fort Worth exhibition

Marcheta Fornoff

Contemporary artworks and historical items from its collection will be on display starting June 12

Updated renderings of the National Juneteenth Museum show it where the Southside Community Center currently sits, at the corner of East Rosedale Street and New York Avenue in the Historic Southside neighborhood.

Texas News

Texas lawmakers allocate $10M to support National Juneteenth Museum development

David Moreno | Fort Worth Report

The state’s contribution brings the Juneteenth museum’s funds to $50 million — more than two-thirds of its $70 million goal.

A frame document on a table in the middle of a great hall with a gold seal behind it. Two men can be seen sitting next to the able. An inset enlarges the text of the document.

News

Original copy of order freeing enslaved Texans on display starting Juneteenth

Olla Mokhtar

The handbill that informed enslaved people in Texas of their freedom was given out June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.