Marco Rinaldi
It was a moment made for history. Tuesday night, the Fort Worth City Council chamber was packed, and when the vote came down — unanimous approval for a plan to lease city property and contribute $15 million toward the long-awaited National Juneteenth Museum — the room erupted. A standing ovation. Cheers. And in the middle of it all, 97-year-old Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," flashed two thumbs up, her smile as wide as Texas itself.
This is a story about persistence, about reclaiming a past once divided, and about a city stepping up to ensure its history has a home.
The National Juneteenth Museum will soon rise where the Southside Community Center now stands, at the corner of New York Ave. and Rosedale Street in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside. A neighborhood that, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, was a thriving center of Black culture and commerce before the construction of I-35 split it in two in the 1960s. Now, the same streets that once buzzed with life will be home to a museum dedicated to the day freedom finally reached Texas in 1865.
“This is going to be a catalytic project that’s going to allow us to reinvigorate what once was and to see the glory of the Historic Southside again,” Jarred Howard, the museum’s CEO and lead developer, said regarding the museum’s original planned spot over a year ago.
With a grand opening goal set for 2026 — just in time for Lee’s 100th birthday — the museum aims to be more than a collection of artifacts. It will be a portal to the past, an economic driver, and a cultural beacon drawing visitors from all over the country.
The council’s resolution cements Fort Worth’s commitment: a 40-year lease at $1 per year, $15 million in funding, and a promise to relocate the community center’s services to the Hazel Harvey Peace Center. But there are conditions. Before a dime of city money is spent, the museum must raise two-thirds of its construction costs on its own. As of now, they've secured $40 million — more than halfway to their $70 million goal.
If everything lines up, the bulldozers will roll in, and the new museum will break ground. If it doesn’t? The council may revisit the deadline, now set for October 31, 2027.
Council member Chris Nettles, who represents the Historic Southside, made it clear: “We can’t lose our history, because our history is who we are. The National Juneteenth Museum is going to bring that history to Fort Worth. It is going to be a beacon of light.”
The 50,000-square-foot facility will feature exhibit galleries, a Black Box space, a business incubator, a food hall, a courtyard, green space, and a 250-seat theater. The museum itself will occupy the second floor of the two-story building, ensuring its presence looms large — physically and symbolically.
Private donors, including BNSF Railway and Bank of America, have already chipped in millions, as reported by the Fort Worth Report. The Texas Legislature, after granting $1 million in 2023, will now be asked to match Fort Worth’s contribution.
“We wanted to correct that situation and say ‘No, Fort Worth is committed,’” Nettles said. “Fort Worth has a location, and this is where we believe it should be.”
For now, the Historic Southside waits, hopeful. The city watches, invested. And Opal Lee? She’s been waiting for this moment all her life. If anyone believes in the power of persistence, it’s her. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that Juneteenth isn’t just about the past. It’s about the promise of what comes next.
