Juneteenth commemorates the date (June 19, 1865) when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved people in the state were free—two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued by President Lincoln. Enslavers hid freedom from enslaved Texans, to continue depriving them of their power. Freedom and power continue to be hidden from and denied to, Black Americans today.

On Thursday, June 22, at 2:00 PM EDT / 1:00 PM CDT, FCCP will host a one-hour virtual event to celebrate Juneteenth and grassroots power-building efforts in Houston. FCCP Executive Director LaShanda A. Jackson will moderate a conversation with Jennifer Spriggs, Executive Director of Emancipation Park Conservancy, and Andrew Barley, Co-Director of the Rebuild program at West Street Recovery. Join us to learn about the moving history of Emancipation Park in Houston, founded in 1872 by Black Texans to commemorate the end of slavery and create a safe space for the celebration of Juneteenth–celebrations and community engagement that continues today. You’ll also learn about amazing community power building by West Street Recovery, which grew out of Hurricane Harvey rescue and recovery efforts and uses community engagement and civic participation to build social justice in Houston. Please feel free to share this information with your networks.

Register for this event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckf-mtqTouGdQkchkF3Rwy3y_2XLRaB2n8