Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration, March And Festival Coming To Fair Park

The Blair Foundation and the Elite News will host the inaugural Juneteenth Celebration, March and Festival on Saturday, June 19. The event will begin at 10:00 AM at William Blair Jr. Park with a three-and-a-half-mile march and end at Fair Park with a festival featuring a Negro League Baseball exhibit, a hair show, a concert, and other various activities. All programs and activities are free and open to the public.

"We are proud to bring new events to the campus that embrace and reflect the history and culture of the communities that we serve," said Brian Luallen, Executive Director of Fair Park First. "We hope that we continue to host a Juneteenth celebration for many years to come."

"The celebration and march is an eclectic celebration for all while celebrating the freedom of one," said Darryl J. Blair, Publishing Editor of the Elite News. "The Blair Foundation and many other community leaders and partners want to utilize this holiday to celebrate freedom in the spirit of unity, diversity, and inclusiveness."

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, traveled to Galveston, Texas, to announce to over 250,000 enslaved people that they were free. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years earlier, but the word had not reached Texas. The Dallas Historical Society has the only known original copy of the General Orders, and they will be on display at the Hall of State during the Juneteenth Celebration.

All local COVID-19 protocols will be followed in order to ensure the safety of the attendees. For more information about the event, visit www.dfwjuneteenthcelebration.com.

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