Celebrate Juneteenth At Weeksville Heritage Center

CROWN HEIGHTS – In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared the end of slavery in the U.S., but it wasn’t until June 19, 1865 that the state of Texas announced that all slaves were free. While not officially a national holiday, June 19th or Juneteenth is observed annually in most states as African-American Emancipation Day or Freedom Day.

Weeksville Heritage Center is honoring Juneteenth with Unapologetically Black Week, a series of events celebrating the “joy, community, and creativity of radical Blackness” from Tuesday, June 19 through Saturday, June 23.

A multidisciplinary museum, the Weeksville Heritage Center is located on the historic site that once housed one of America’s first free Black communities in the 19th century.

Unapologetically Black Week begins on Juneteenth (7pm to 9pm) with #ForTheCulture: Reclaiming Black Spaces, a discussion examining how African-Americans can assert themselves in the world, reclaim Black holidays as well as physical, digital, and mental spaces.

On Wednesday, June 20 (7pm to 9pm), there will be a screening of Shikeith Cathey’s short documentary film Black Men Dream followed by a discussion moderated by photographer Antonio Johnson about the “nuances of emotions, trauma, sexuality, while being Black and male in a society where [they] are often seen as target.”

On Friday, June 22, pack a blanket and head over to Weeksville meadow for a Summer Friday Day Party (2pm to 5pm) featuring art, music, cocktails, and a chance to see the two summer exhibitions currently on view at the Center.

Saturday, June 23 (12pm to 4pm) wraps up Weeksville’s Juneteenth festivities with #FortheCulture: Legacies of Visual Unrest, a panel discussion with photographers Laurent Chevalier and Brandon John who will share how they’ve documented activist movements in the time of #BlackLivesMatter.

Saturday will also host the closing party for Weeksville’s current exhibit Forward Ever! Sacred Ground + Sovereign Space, a contemporary art exhibition examining the reclaiming of spaces where Black artists can be free and creative.

Click here to learn more about Weeksville Heritage Center and go to weeksvillesociety.org to learn more about Unapologetically Black Week.

Weeksville Heritage Center
158 Buffalo Avenue, Crown Heights
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10am – 5pm