[00:00:01]
OKAY, LET ME SAY GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE
[Press Conference: “Juneteenth Citywide Celebrations Announcement”]
AND I'M HONORED TO HAVE WITH ME.UH, STANDING WITH ME TODAY IS COUNCILMAN MCC RO FROM DISTRICT EIGHT.
SO THANK YOU COUNCILMAN FOR BEING PRESENT.
UH, YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM A NUMBER OF PERSONS, UH, OF THIS MORNING.
UH, BUT I WILL SAY JUST FOR INTRODUCTIONS, ZION ESCOBAR OF HOUSTON, FREEMANS TOWN CONSERVANCY, TANYA DEBO OF INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, HARRISON, GUY OF THE FIFTH WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT, RAMON MANNINGHAM, EMANCIPATION PARK CONSERVANCY, UH, JANICE WEAVERS WITH THE IS WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
AND THEN MIGUEL CESAR OF, OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIBRARY AT THE GREGORY SCHOOL.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF CITYWIDE FESTIVITIES AND CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH THIS YEAR, AND TO SHOWCASE HOW ORGANIZATIONS ARE COLLABORATING TO MAKE THE EVENTS BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER.
UH, SUSAN CHRISTIAN IS HERE WHO'S OVER SPECIAL EVENTS.
AND THEN NICOLE IRVIN IS ALSO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS.
UH, WE KNOW IT IS A LITTLE EARLY, BUT THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT AND WE WANT TO CAPTURE THAT EXCITEMENT AND THE MOMENTUM AND ENSURE THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF DIFFERENT EVENTS AND CAN MAKE PLANS TO PARTICIPATE.
I AM OF COURSE, JOINED BY MEMBERS OF THE HOUSTON CITYWIDE JUNETEENTH PLANNING COMMITTEE, THAT'S THE HOUSTON CITYWIDE JUNETEENTH PLANNING COMMITTEE TO ANNOUNCE THE UNIFICATION OF JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS BY SHOWCASING ALL EVENTS OFFERED BY HOUSTON'S HISTORIC COMMUNITIES IN ONE SPACE.
I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR THAT WE'VE KIND OF HAD A UNIFIED EFFORT.
SO ALL OF THESE JUNETEENTH ACTIVITIES ARE COMING TOGETHER AND THE ONE UMBRELLA.
UH, AND OF COURSE, UH, JOINING ME AGAIN, ZION ESCOBAR WITH THE HOUSTON FREEMANS TOWN CONSERVANCY, TANYA DEBO, THE INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS REDEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, HARRISON GUY, THE FIFTH WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT, RAMON MANNING OF EMANCIPATION PARK CONSERVANCY, JANICE WEAVERS WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, AND MIGUEL CESAR WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIBRARY AND THE GREGORY SCHOOL.
JUNETEENTH HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AND CELEBRATED AS A DAY OF FREEDOM AND EMANCIPATION AROUND THE WORLD.
AND LAST YEAR, FOLLOWING DECADES OF LOCAL ADVOCACY, PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNED INTO LAW JUNETEENTH AS A FEDERAL HOLIDAY AND UM, YEAH, WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE OF THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AND SENATOR JOHN CORNY.
THEY BOTH CARRIED THE BILL ONE IN THE HOUSE AND ONE IN THE SENATE AND MADE IT HAPPEN.
AND OF COURSE, I WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT AND GIVE SPECIAL CREDIT TO FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE AL EDWARDS.
HE'S NO LONGER WITH US, BUT HE GOT, HE GOT HIS STARTED.
SO TO FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE AL LEVIS, I KNOW YOU ARE ON HIGH, LOOKING DOWN AND SMILING.
JUNETEENTH COMMEMORATES THE 1863 SIGNING OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION THAT FREED FORMERLY ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS.
BUT FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY WASN'T ANNOUNCED IN TEXAS UNTIL JUNE 19TH, UH, 1865 IN GALVESTON.
THAT WAS ALMOST 157 YEARS AGO.
THIS REGION HAS BEEN HONORING AND CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH SINCE THAT DAY WITH TWO PIVOTAL HOUSTON HISTORIC MO MOMENTS.
IN 18 72, 4 FORMER SLAVES PURCHASED THE LAND TO CREATE EMANCIPATION PARK.
THIS YEAR MARKS A SEAQUEST CENTENNIAL FOR EMANCIPATION PARK, WHICH FOR 150 YEARS HAS BEEN A SAFE SPACE FOR FAMILIES TO GATHER ON JUNETEENTH.
AND WE CANNOT OVERLOOK THE TENACIOUS ADVOCACY OF LATE STATE REPRESENTATIVE AL EDWARD EDWARDS OF HOUSTON THROUGH HIS CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP, TEXAS BECOMING THE FIRST STATE IN THE NA IN THE NATION TO MAKE JUNETEENTH AND OFFICIALS STATE HOLIDAY IN 1979.
AND TO MARK THIS YEAR'S CELEBRATION, HOUSTON'S COMMUNITIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INSTITUTIONS HAVE ALL COME TOGETHER FROM FREEMAN'S TOWN TO ACRE HOME, FROM INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS TO MILLER OUTDOOR THEATER.
OUR COMMUNITY HAS NOT ONLY CONTINUED TO CELEBRATE, BUT EXPAND THE UNDERSTANDING AND IMPORTANCE OF THIS HISTORY.
SO I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR COMMUNITY, HOUSTON HAS JOINED FORCES TO CELEBRATE FREEDOM.
LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE CITY ARE HERE THIS MORNING TO SHOWCASE THE EVENTS THAT WILL BE HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THE CITY.
AND IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU PLAN TO HIT THEM ALL.
AND SO NOW
AND NOW LET ME INVITE OUR FIRST GUEST SPEAKER, ZION ESCOBAR FROM HOUSTON FREEMAN'S TOWNS CONSERVANCY, UH, TO SAY A FEW WORDS AS I AM.
THANK YOU MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING TO
[00:05:01]
EVERYONE.I AM SO THRILLED AND SO HUMBLED TO BE HERE TO ANNOUNCE THAT AS YOU HEARD FOR THE FIRST TIME, UH, THIS HOUSTON CITYWIDE JUNETEENTH PLANNING COMMITTEE IS UNIFYING AN IMPRESSIVE, VERY IMPRESSIVE SERIES OF, UM, OF JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS BY SHOWCASING ALL EVENTS OFFERED BY HOUSTON'S HISTORIC COMMUNITIES IN ONE PLACE.
SO THE OFFICIAL JUNETEENTH HOUSTON WEBSITE WILL FEATURE A SERIES OF EVENTS ACROSS THE CITY, TAKING PLACE IN THE FREEMAN'S TOWN HERITAGE DISTRICT IN FOURTH WARD, MIDTOWN CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT, THIRD WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT, FIFTH WARD, CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICTS, INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, ACRES, HOME DOWNTOWN, AS WELL AS SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES.
WE INVITE YOU TO TAP IN TO JUNETEENTH 2022 BY VISITING WWW JUNETEENTH HOUSTON.ORG.
AGAIN, WWW JUNETEENTH HOUSTON.ORG.
AND WHILE WE KNOW THIS IS NOT EVERY JUNETEENTH EVENT TAKING PLACE, UM, WE HOPE THAT THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF DEEPER COLLABORATION AND CONNECTION WITHIN THE HOUSTON GALVESTON REGION.
AS YOU KNOW, THIS STORY IS A REGIONAL STORY.
THIS IS THE BIRTHPLACE, THIS IS THE HOME.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR EVENT TO THIS WEBSITE, PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS AND WE'LL BE SURE TO GET BACK WITH YOU THERE.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT AND SET SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT FOR THE CELEBRATIONS AND REVELATIONS THAT ARE SURE TO PUNCTUATE THIS YEAR'S EVENTS.
BEFORE YOU PREPARE TO TURN UP, I INVITE YOU TO TAP IN INTO THE STORY OF FREEDOM THAT IS SITUATED ALONG BUFFALO BAYOU AND HOUSTON'S FOURTH WARD.
FREEDMAN'S TOWN WAS SETTLED SHORTLY AFTER JUNE 19TH IN THE 1865.
THUS JUNETEENTH, WHEN ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE FINALLY GRANTED THE FREEDOM THAT HAD BEEN LEGALLY THERE SINCE THE ISSUANCE OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION TWO AND A HALF YEARS EARLIER.
COULD YOU IMAGINE SOMEONE GIVING YOU THAT NEWS LATE? THAT'S THE WORST THING, RIGHT? SO EAGER TO BEGIN THEIR NEW LIVES IN A NEW PLACE AS FREED PEOPLE, THESE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FROM SURROUNDING RURAL AREAS, JOURNEYED TO HOUSTON AND BEGAN CREATING A COMMUNITY AND WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS FREEDMAN'S TOWN.
THEY BUILT HOMES, SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES, CHURCHES, AND LIVES FOR THEMSELVES AS FREED PEOPLE.
THEY BUILT A WORLD IN WHICH AFRICAN AMERICANS COULD PROSPER AND THRIVE.
FREEDMANS TOWN IS WHERE BLACK HOUSTON TOOK SHAPE.
IT'S THE SOURCE OF THE CITY'S EARLY BLACK LEADERSHIP.
IT'S WHERE THE STORY OF FREEDOM TRULY BEGAN AS HOUSTONIANS.
YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS AND TAKE PRIDE THAT THAT STORY BEGINS HERE.
THE FOUNDING OF FREEDMANS TOWN CREATED THE PATH FOR MANY OF THE COMMUNITIES YOU SEE REPRESENTED HERE TODAY.
AS WE LOOK TO HEAR FROM TODAY'S COMMUNITY LEADERS, WE CELEBRATE THE POWER AND RESILIENCY OF OUR ANCESTORS AND RECOGNIZE THAT WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.
SPEAKING OF LEADERSHIP, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME MS. TANYA DUBOSE OF INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS TO THE MIC.
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR AND ZION, AND MY COUNCILWOMAN OF DISTRICT EIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CARLOS CISNEROS.
AND SO I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE THIS MORNING AS A PART OF THIS CITYWIDE PLANNING.
UM, I BRING YOU GREETINGS FROM THE GREAT STATE OF INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, UM,
AND THAT WAS SOME THANK YOU WHERE FORMERLY ENSLAVED PEOPLE WHO LEFT THE BRAZOS RIVER BOTTOMS AND THE AREA OF WARDEN AND GALVESTON, WHO CAME INTO THE THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH WARD.
AND, UM, EVENTUALLY MIGRATED OVER TO INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS BY WAY OF GREEN POND, CHENEY, BILL, SIXTH WARD AND FIRST WARD.
UM, AND SO WE CAME AS A PLACE WHERE AFRICAN AMERICANS COULD OWN LAND AND AFTER 600 RESIDENTS WERE ABLE TO ACQUIRE LAND IN 1915, THEY WENT AND INCORPORATED AND BECAME THE FIRST BLACK CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
I AM A FIFTH GENERATION DESCENDANT OF THOSE PEOPLE, AND I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HONOR THE ANCESTORS WITHOUT A CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH WITHOUT JOINING IN ON THIS CITYWIDE, UH, INITIATIVE TO MAKE SURE WE BRING ATTENTION TO WHAT OUR ANCESTORS DID IN THESE SPACES.
AND SO FOR JUNETEENTH IN INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, WE ARE NOT GONNA HAVE A HUGE EVENT, BUT WE ARE GOING TO BE A PART OF THE MURALS, MARKERS, AND MAINS TOUR.
AND SO DEFINITELY CAN SIGN UP@THEJUNETEENTHHOUSTON.ORG.
WE WILL ALSO BE UNVEILING TWO NEW MARKERS, LOCALLY PROTECTED HOME OF MS. SAMMY MAXEY, AS WELL AS JACKSON'S BARBERSHOP ON NORTH MAIN AND 35TH STREET.
[00:10:02]
ADDITIONALLY, WE MAY BE HAVING A MOCK DISASTER DRILL, SO IF YOU'RE GONNA BE JOINING US ON JUNE 18TH, YOU MIGHT SEE SOME, UH, MOCK BODIES IN THE STREET.AND SO WE ARE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT WE DO OUR FAIR SHARE OF CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH.
AND THEN ON THAT NEXT WEEKEND, ON JUNE 26TH, WE WILL HAVE OUR MAIN STREET MARKETPLACE TO HONOR THE 40 AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES THAT WERE ALONG NORTH MAIN STREET.
SO WE ARE BRINGING BACK NORTH MAIN STREET, AND WE ARE GLAD TO BE CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH WITH ALL OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS AROUND THE CITY.
AND NEXT WE'LL HAVE HARRISON GUY, FIFTH WARD CULTURAL ART DISTRICT.
Y'ALL BETTER CLAP FOR FIFTH WARD, THE NICKEL.
I AM THE DIRECTOR OF ARTS AND CULTURE FOR THE FIFTH WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT.
AND I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT JUNETEENTH 'CAUSE I AM PERSONALLY FROM GALVESTON COUNTY.
UM, AND IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GALVESTON AND GALVESTON COUNTY, JUNETEENTH IS CELEBRATED LIKE TIMES 1000.
UM, AND SOMETHING THAT I WAS TAUGHT GROWING UP IN CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH FROM PAGEANTS TO PARADES, TO BIZARRES, TO ALL KINDS OF THINGS IS THAT FREEDOM IS NOT FREEDOM IF IT STAYS IN ONE PLACE.
AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS TAUGHT THAT AS WE GO OUT INTO THE WORLD, THAT WE WOULD TELL THE STORY OF JUNETEENTH AND WE'LL CELEBRATE FROM WHEREVER WE ARE.
SO I'M SO EXCITED TO CELEBRATE IT HERE IN HOUSTON.
AND FIFTH WARD WHERE I WORK, UM, THE FIFTH WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT IS MANAGED BY THE FIFTH WARD COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UM, WE'RE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF KATHY FLANAGAN PEYTON.
AND SO WE THOUGHT, WHAT BETTER WAY TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH AND FREEDOM, BUT THROUGH ART AND BUSINESS? AND SO IN FIFTH WARD, WE WILL BE SHOWING OUR AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY MEMORY BUILDS THE MONUMENT.
AND SO MEMORY BUILDS THE MONUMENT IS A SHORT FILM, BUT IT IS MIGHTY AND IT IS POWERFUL.
IT IS ABOUT THE HISTORIC CLUB MATINEE, WHICH WAS A LIVE MUSIC VENUE THAT WAS ON LYONS AVENUE.
AND THAT FILM, IT WAS A LOVE LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S WHAT IT WAS MEANT TO BE, AND A LOVE LETTER TO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BLACK COMMUNITY.
UM, AND, AND, AND ALL OF HIS STRUGGLES AND ALL OF HIS, UH, UH, CHALLENGES, BUT CAN STILL FIND A WAY TO COME TOGETHER TO DO SOMETHING GREAT.
AND SO THAT FILM WENT ON TO, UM, BE NOMINATED FOR A NAACP IMAGE AWARD, AND IT ALSO PREMIERED AT SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.
UM, ON THE WEBSITE YOU WILL SEE THAT WE ARE SHOWING IT THAT THE FRIDAY, THE JUNE 17TH AT THE HISTORIC DELUXE THEATER, ALL THIS HISTORY, ALL THIS BLACK CULTURE.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE THREE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO SEE THAT FILM AT 6:00 PM 7:30 PM AND 10:00 PM IF YOU'RE A NIGHT OWL AND YOU WANT TO GET OUT LATE.
AND THEN ON SATURDAY, WE ARE ALSO A PART OF THE, THE, UM, THE TOURS, THE MURALS MARKERS, AND MAIN STREET, LYONS AVENUE IS WHAT WE'VE CHOSEN TO SERVE AS OUR, UH, MAIN STREET.
AND SO YOU'LL GET TO SEE SOME MURALS AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME MAR MARKERS AND HISTORIES AROUND LIONS AVENUE, WHICH WAS A THRIVING BLOODLINE OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN ON SUNDAY, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA CELEBRATE BLACK BUSINESS WITH BLACK MARKET.
AND SO BLACK MARKET WILL BE IN EAST RIVER, UM, FROM ONE TO FIVE.
AND SO ALL OF THIS IS ON THE WEBSITE, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER IT, BUT ART AND BUSINESS IS THE WAY THAT WE'VE DECIDED TO CELEBRATE IN FIFTH WARD.
WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING THAT IS COMMUNAL.
I THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE ANCESTRAL LEGACY OF JUNETEENTH, AND I CAN JUST IMAGINE THAT OUR ANCESTORS ARE SO PROUD OF WHAT WE ARE DOING FOR THE FIRST TIME HERE IN HOUSTON THIS YEAR.
AND FROM THE NICKEL TO THE TRADE, RAMON MANNING, EMANCIPATION PARK CONSERVANCY IN THIRD WARD.
UM, ON BEHALF OF THE EMANCIPATION PARK CONSERVANCY BOARD, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THIS IS, UH, THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, UM, THAT WE'RE DOING THIS.
YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT ABOUT LEAVING MY OFFICE ON THE WAY OVER HERE, MAN, I SHOULD PREPARE REMARKS, BUT THIS IS ALL PERSONAL TO ALL OF US, MAYOR.
AND SO I DIDN'T WANT TO PREPARE ANY REMARKS.
I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE JUST FOR A SECOND, BECAUSE WE REALIZED AS A COMMUNITY HOW IMPORTANT THIS MOMENT IS.
JUNETEENTH NOW, IN ITS SECOND YEAR BEING A FEDERAL HOLIDAY AND HAVING THIS CELEBRATORY, UM, AURA AROUND IT IS GREAT.
HOWEVER, THIS IS A SERIOUS MOMENT.
AND I CAN TELL YOU I'M HERE TODAY TO PROFESS MY LOVE FOR THESE PEOPLE BECAUSE I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH DURING THIS TIME WORKING ON THIS STUFF WITH THEM.
AND WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS THAT THESE ARE VALUABLE ASSETS IN OUR CITY THAT WE USE FROM AN ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE TO INCREASE
[00:15:01]
TOURISM DOLLARS, TO GET HEADS AND BEDS IN THIS CITY.THERE'S A LOT OF RICH HISTORY AND CULTURE IN THIS CITY.
AND I THANK THE MAYOR FOR WHAT HE'S DOING BECAUSE MOST OF THE TIME WE OVERLOOK THIS AND WE DON'T VALUE THIS STUFF.
AND THIS GOES INTO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AT EMANCIPATION PARK, WHO, WHO MAYOR, WHO UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT.
SOME OF Y'ALL GOING TO GET THAT IN JUST A SECOND, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK ABOUT THE KINDER FOUNDATION, WHO HAS DONE SOMETHING THAT THEY'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE, MAYOR AT THE SCALE THAT THEY'VE DONE IT AT, THEY DON'T SUPPORT EVENTS.
BUT NANCY AND RICH UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS CULTURAL AND HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE ASSETS.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THAT, THAT EMANCIPATION PARK AND THE CONSERVANCY GETS TO DISTRIBUTE MANY GRANTS.
SO WE CAN DO ALL OF THIS STUFF.
THE CRAWL, THE EXHIBITION IN THE CULTURAL CENTER AT EMANCIPATION PARK BY THE GREGORY SCHOOL, COME AND SEE IT.
IT'S ALL THE HISTORIC PHOTOS AT EMANCIPATION PARK FROM THE 18 HUNDREDS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE 19 HUNDREDS.
ALL OF THIS COLLABORATION IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND Y'ALL KNOW WE ARE DOING SOMETHING PHENOMENAL AT EMANCIPATION PARK, BUT WE COULD NOT DO IT ALONE WITHOUT ALL OF THESE PEOPLE.
AND THIS WASN'T SOMETHING THAT JUST POPPED UP.
THIS WAS PLANNING HOW LONG DANIELLE? WHERE'S DANIELLE? MAYOR? WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MONTHS.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO JUST CLOSE BY SAYING WE ARE GONNA HAVE FUN.
THIS IS A CELEBRATORY MOMENT, BUT THIS IS ALSO A SERIOUS MOMENT.
FROM, FROM FREEMAN'S TOWN TO INDEPENDENT HIKES, UH, TO THE NICKEL TO THE TRAY.
AND NOW, UH, JANICE WEAVER WILL SPEAK ABOUT THE FOFO
THAT'S RIGHT, Y'ALL GIVE IT UP FOR THE FO FO, BUT A THIRD GENERATION.
THAT MEANS ACRES HOME FOR PEOPLE,
UH, BUT I AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE AC ACRES HOME JUNETEENTH PARADE, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 18TH IN ACRES HOME.
UH, THIS PARADE WILL BEGIN AT THE ACRE HOME MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, AND IT WILL END ON DOLLY RIGHT AT, UM, AT THE CHURCH.
AND SO WE HAVE PLENTY OF SPACE FOR YOU GUYS.
IF YOU WANNA BE IN THIS PARADE.
THIS IS WHERE YOU'RE GONNA START.
JUNETEENTH OFF ON JUNE 18TH, GUYS.
SO AT 10:00 AM WE WILL BE THERE.
SUSAN CHRISTENSEN AND HER TEAM FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS HAS BEEN WORKING VERY, VERY HARD IN MAKING SURE THAT THIS NINTH ANNUAL PARADE IS A GREAT PARADE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT WILL BE.
AND SO WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE BECAUSE AS THE MAYOR SAID,
SO WE'LL START OFF AT THE PARADE, MAYOR, RIGHT? UH, YOU MIGHT DO A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN ME, BUT, UH, WE'LL BE AT EMANCIPATION PARK AND WE WILL ALSO BE AT MILLER AL OUTDOOR THEATER AND IN MANY OTHER PLACES.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH TO, UH, MY COLLEAGUE NICOLE IRVIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND WE'LL SEE YOU ON JUNE 18TH.
NOW BACK TO THE FREEISH TOWN AREA, MHA CESAR WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIBRARY AT THE GREGORY SCHOOL.
I'M THE MANAGER AT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIBRARY AT THE GREGORY SCHOOL, ONE OF THREE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HELD BY HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM.
AND ON BEHALF OF, UM, MY DIRECTOR, DR.
REL LAWSON AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE CITYWIDE INITIATIVE FOR PLANNING FOR JUNETEENTH 150 CELEBRATION.
UM, SO JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE GREGORY SCHOOL.
UH, WE WERE ESTABLISHED FIVE YEARS AFTER EMANCIPATION IN 1870, UH, FOR CHILDREN OF FORMERLY ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE HOUSTON AREA.
UH, WE'RE LOCATED IN FOURTH WARD, HISTORIC FREEMANS TOWN.
AND, UH, WE ARE, WHICH IS CONSIDERED THE OLDEST ESTABLISHED AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON.
OUR CURRENT FACILITY IS, WAS BUILT IN 1926, AND IT IS HISTORICAL LANDMARK.
UH, IT WAS, IT SERVED AS A SCHOOL, A SCHOOL UNTIL 1984.
UM, DUE TO INTEGRATION, UH, IT WAS CLOSED
[00:20:01]
DOWN, BUT IN 2008, IT WAS PURCHASED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FROM HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND REOPENED AS A ART FULL, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN ARCHIVES RESEARCH CENTER THAT WE'RE KNOWN FOR TODAY.SO IT WAS A LITTLE, LITTLE HISTORY
UM, OUR MISSION AT THE GREGORY SCHOOL IS TO PRESERVE, PROMOTE, AND MAKE ACCESSIBLE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AS IT RELATES TO HOUSTON AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS.
UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE, UH, THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, UH, IN WHICH EMANCIPATION PARK WAS BUILT BY, UH, THE COMMUNITY, UH, CHURCH MEMBERS, BUSINESSMEN COMING TOGETHER TO PURCHASE LAND, TO HAVE A, A CELEBRATION FOR, UM, JUNETEENTH.
UH, SO IT'S IN THAT SAME SPIRIT THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE INVOLVED IN THE CITYWIDE INITIATIVE TO CELEBRATE THIS MONUMENTAL 150 YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EMANCIPATION PARK.
WE ACTUALLY RECEIVED ONE OF THOSE MINI GRANTS, UM,
SO WHAT WE WILL BE DOING AND HOW WE WILL BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE, UH, FESTIVITIES, UH, WE WILL HAVE A POP-UP EXHIBIT TITLED JUBILEE, A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM, WHICH WOULD DOCUMENT THE JUNETEENTH, AS WELL AS THE EVOLUTION OF EMANCIPATION PARK AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO HOUSTON.
UH, IT WOULD FEATURE IMAGES AND ARCHIVES FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIBRARY, AS WELL AS THE HOUSTON PUBLIC METROPOLITAN RESEARCH CENTER, UM, THAT WILL ILLUSTRATE, UH, CELEBRATIONS FROM THE LATE 19TH CENTURY TO CONTEMPORARY TIMES, AS WELL AS THE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT THE PARK.
UH, WE'LL ALSO BE ON HAND AT DIFFERENT EVENTS AT THE PARK TO, UM, KIND OF GIVE MORE DETAILS INTO THE EXHIBIT.
UM, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM MORE INSIGHT OF WHAT THE ACTUAL, WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE THIS PARK, TO HAVE THIS LAND, AND TO SEE THE CELEBRATIONS.
UM, WE, WE WILL ALSO BE, UM, WE WILL ALSO BE AS MENTIONED EARLIER, EARLIER, UH, ONE OF THE HISTORICAL STOPS ON THE, UH, MURALS, MARKERS AND MAIN STREET TOURS.
UH, WE WOULD HAVE STAFF ON STANDBY AT THE SITE TO GIVE, UM, I GUESS MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PERMANENT GALLERIES THAT WE HAVE AT OUR FACILITY THAT DETAILS THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, NOT ONLY IN FOURTH WARD, THIRD WARD, UM, BUT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, ALSO BEING A PART OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM.
WE'LL BE HOSTING AN EVENT WITH ANNETTE AND GORDON REED, WHICH IS THE AUTHOR OF ON JUNETEENTH.
UM, YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE, HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.ORG TO FIGURE OUT MORE CELEBRATIONS GOING ON AT LOCAL BRANCHES.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE CITYWIDE COMMUNITY EFFORTS AND CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH.
AND, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT FACILITY IN EMANCIPATION PARK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS.
AND I JUST WANTED TO, UM, OFFER JUST A QUICK CLOSING STATEMENT.
UM, I WANTED US TO MARK THIS AS THE BEGINNING, THE BEGINNING OF DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY.
MANY CAN GET LOST IN THE COMMERCIALIZATION.
I WANT YOU TO, TO VERY DEEPLY GROUND YOURSELF IN WHAT THIS IS REALLY ABOUT.
WE, MARCUS, IS THE BEGINNING OF GREATER IMPACT, AND MUCH LIKE THE EARLY SETTLER SETTLERS OF THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH WARD, AND BEYOND MORE INTENTIONAL COLLABORATION, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SEE HERE TODAY.
OUR INTENTIONS ARE SET AND WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US HOUSTON.
WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER, NOT JUST IN TIMES OF TRIBULATION, BUT ALSO DURING TIMES OF JUBILATION.
AND WHAT AN INCREDIBLE LINEUP OF EXCELLENCE AND EXCITEMENT WE HAVE BEFORE US.
JOIN US IN JUBILATION THIS YEAR AS WE CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH 2022 AND LOOK FORWARD TO HOUSTON BEING THE DESTINATION FOR ALL THINGS JUNETEENTH IN YEARS TO COME.
I HAVE TO GIVE A SHAMELESS PLUG TO THINGS HAPPENING IN FREEMAN'S TOWN.
SO IF YOU'LL BEAR WITH ME, KNOW THAT, UH, FREEMAN'S TOWN WILL BE PART OF THE MARKERS, MURALS, AND MAINS TOUR, AS WELL AS, UM, THERE'LL BE, UM, EVENTS AND POPUPS HAPPENING WITH THE YATES MUSEUM, WITH, UM, OTHER CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN FREEMAN'S TOWN.
SO PLEASE COME OUT, LEARN MORE, AND DON'T FORGET TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TO THAT, UH, THAT TOUR TAKING PLACE.
MAYOR, LET ME, LET ME THANK ALL THE PRESENTERS, THE SPEAKERS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO THIS PARTICULAR EVENT FROM ANYONE? ANY QUESTIONS? I THINK YOU GOT IT.
THEN, UH, I THINK WE'RE GONNA TAKE JUST A FEW PICTURES, UH, AND THEN WE'LL WRAP IT UP.