Historic Hamilton Park will host a parade and festival Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth. The theme is “Still Standing: Celebrating the Legacy of Hamilton Park.”
Juneteenth, officially commemorated on June 19, celebrates the liberation of enslaved African Americans. Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the enslaved people of the Confederacy on January 1, 1863, enslaved people in Texas weren’t free until June 19, 1865. That’s when Union Army General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas.
Hamilton Park’s Juneteenth parade will step off at 9 a.m. Saturday in front of Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet school. The route will go left onto Schroeder Road and right onto Willowdell, ending at the HPPM auditorium. The festival will begin at noon in the park on Willowdell with food trucks, clothing vendors, bounce houses and live music. At 6:30 p.m. the annual “Front Streets vs. Back Streets Kickball Game” begin.
All events have been permitted by the city, and paid police officers will be present throughout the day. If your organization or business would like to sponsor these events, contact Taler Jefferson at 404-914-8142.