TEXAS JUNETEENTH: Special program on Saturday, June 8

     Freedom for enslaved Texans came two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing African-Americans in the rest of the country.

  The day of that announcement in the Lone Star State — June 19, 1865 — is now celebrated as Juneteenth, and a special history program the weekend before, on Saturday, June 8, will celebrate this important day in Texas history.

“Texas Juneteenth: Amazing History, Enduring Legacy” will feature readings of Union Gen. Gordon Granger’s proclamation in Galveston announcing that Texas slaves had their freedom, presentations about the history of Juneteenth and a special arts program.

  The special program will start at 9 a.m. with tours of the Dodson House that is under restoration as the new Freeman’s history site to showcase the amazing successes and self-guided empowerment of formerly enslaved Texans in the decades after Emancipation, despite prevalent racism of the day.

From 10-11 a.m., a special hour-long program in our Wessels dance hall will feature the reading of the 1865 Emancipation Proclamation and a special arts program. The pre-Juneteenth program is designed to encourage the preservation of African American history in Central Texas, from bricks and mortar to the stories and music.

The program is free to those who RSVP before June 5 at the link below or by emailing us at info@pioneerfarms.org. Advance tickets the lunch are available for sale below (You must purchase a lunch, not included in the free registration.)  The program is hosted by the Travis County African-American Cultural Commission, the Travis County Historical Commission and Pioneer Farms.

All historic sites at Pioneer Farms will be open for self-guided walking tours.

Sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka, The Mr. & Mrs. Joe W. Bratcher Jr. Foundation, Big Red Soda and the Austin Chronicle.

Reserve your spot now. Click for lunch tickets on the photo below.