Published June 19 2020
Activities for Celebrating Juneteenth Both Online and In-person Throughout the Weekend!
Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day or Freedom Day, is the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. The date commemorates June 19, 1865, when the end of the Civil War and slavery were announced in Texas two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery. Honor the 155th anniversary of this important holiday by participating in these local events!
Juneteenth 2020: Stay Black and Live
Online Festival & Celebration
Friday, June 19 | 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Juneteenth Jamboree: A Retrospective
Stories about black culture and history on Austin PBS
Friday, June 19 | 7:30 PM
Black Voices: A Listening Party
In-person and live-streamed performances at the Far Out
Lounge & Stage benefitting the Austin Justice Coalition
Saturday, June 20 | 8:00 PM
Juneteenth Weekend Driving Tour
A self-guided driving tour starting at the Neill-Cochran House Museum
Friday, Saturday & Sunday | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Free Rides with Austin BCycle
Friday-Sunday by using the promo code JUNETEENTH
Visit the Booker T. Washington Interpretive Panel at Wooldridge Square
Learn more about Austin’s rich history during Juneteenth this year by visiting the interpretive panel and explore other rediscovered histories in Our Austin Story.
Booker T. Washington, famed educator and preeminent African American leader, toured Texas to promote his ideas for African American advancement. In September of 1911, Washington addressed 6,000 of Austin’s total 30,000 residents at Wooldridge Square, after being turned away from speaking at the State Capitol.
” I have but one object in view in coming to this State at this time, that of seeing for myself what progress our race is making with its opportunities, to note also the relations existing between white man, and to say a word, wherever possible, that will further promote friendly and rational relations between white man and Black man”
The Booker T. Washington interpretive panel was unveiled on Juneteenth of last year to commemorate our city’s rich history and highlight the significance held by the historic squares within it.
Learn more about Austin’s rich history during Juneteenth this year by visiting the interpretive panel in Wooldridge Square and explore other rediscovered histories in Our Austin Story.
Get more local history from the Austin History Center: