Opal Lee (middle) with supporters on her Walk 2 DC
Juneteenth celebrations have been modified this year due to COVID-19, but the sentiment and passion driving the events remain.
Social distancing recommendations and health concerns caused the executive director of Unity Unlimited, Dione Sims, to limit and change the plans for Juneteenth Fort Worth. Events such as the Miss Juneteenth Pageant and the 5K race were canceled, but others, including Empowering You — the health, job, education, and financial fair — were moved to a virtual format.
Sims says this delivery will allow more people to take part in the Juneteenth activities and hear the message of unity the day symbolizes.
“You can never have enough opportunity to bring folks together, to celebrate the human side of our freedom,” she says.
One of the signature Juneteenth events, Opal Lee’s Walk 2 DC, is still scheduled. Rather than walking alongside Lee, participants are invited to drive behind the 93-year-old activist as she marches 2.5 miles from the Fort Worth Convention Center to the Will Rogers Coliseum. The walk will also be broadcast on TV and streaming services.
The distance of the walk is based on the amount of time it took after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect for Union soldiers to enforce the legislation in Galveston: 2.5 years. Since the first Walk 2 DC in 2016, more than 800 people have participated in the event.
Lee says she hopes the walk will encourage people to sign the petition to make Juneteenth a national day of observance, helping to reach the goal of 100,000 signatures, but she also says she wants people to give back to their communities, perhaps by serving as a member of the school board or volunteering at the local Boys & Girls Club.
Juneteenth has long been considered a day to celebrate the emancipation of slaves in Texas, but Sims says Juneteenth Fort Worth, a part of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation, is working to make June 19 a day to commemorate freedom and the abolition of slavery in the U.S.
If Juneteenth is designated a national day of observance, educational materials can be incorporated into school curriculums, enabling younger generations to learn about the day.
“The importance of being recognized as a federal holiday is real important because it then enacts several other things that bring about change in the system,” Sims says.
This year, Juneteenth follows a series of protests occurring across the country calling for an end to police brutality and systemic racism. Though movements advocating for civil rights are not new, Lee says what sets these demonstrations apart is the visible and active participation of diverse groups of people.
“[There are] so many things that we need to address as a people — not as a black people or a white people, but as a people, as Americans,” Lee says.
Here are more Juneteenth events happening around town:
Juneteenth Pop Up Virtual Film Screening
June 18, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Registration)
Watch a series of short films accompanied by filmmaker discussions. Free event. Sponsored by Jim Austin Online and the Denton Black Film Festival.
“How I Got Over”
June 19 at 8 p.m. (Tickets)
After a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19, Jubilee Theatre (506 Main St.) will reopen with a performance of gospel musical, "How I Got Over." Attendees will be required to wear face masks, and their temperature will be taken.
Jim Austin Presents Juneteenth Live Streaming Music Festival
June 19, 6 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Zydeco and blues, headlined by Fat Daddy.
June 20, 4 p.m. – midnight. Jazz and R&B, headlined by Marion Meadows.
Performances can be viewed on YouTube or in person at The Warehouse on Berry (1125 E. Berry St.). Ticket information can be found here.
Juneteenth: The Play
June 20 at 7:30 p.m. (Tickets)
Livestream of a play co-written, directed, and produced by former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis.
A Juneteenth Celebration
June 19
A party at coffee shop Black Coffee (1417 Vaughn Blvd.), featuring a pop-up African market and music by DJ Asa Ace.
Opal Lee’s Walk 2 DC
June 19 at 9 a.m. (Registration)
Begins at the Fort Worth Convention Center (1201 Houston St.).
