Marco Rinaldi
It might not be the amount museum boosters were hoping for, but supporters say $1 million in the state budget approved by the Texas Legislature is still a move in the right direction for the construction of the National Juneteenth Museum in south Fort Worth.
This news comes nearly a year after the city of Fort Worth pledged $15 million to help add to an estimated $70 million ask to construct and complete the museum, which is expected to open to the public on Juneteenth 2025.
“We're grateful for the bipartisan support in the Legislature and thrilled by the tangible demonstration,” National Juneteenth Museum CEO, Jarred Howard said. “Their support is incredibly validating of the vision and will buoy our ongoing placemaking efforts.”
Demolition on the site in the 1100 block of East Rosedale and Evans Avenue began in March. Fire consumed the house where the first museum resided. Nothing of historical significance was lost in the fire.
The new museum will be the epicenter for the preservation of Juneteenth history and a center for discussions about freedom.
This 50,000 square-foot space will house:
- 10,000 square feet of immersive exhibit galleries
- 250-seat theater to host lectures, speaker series, performances and more
- Black Box flexible space for traveling exhibits, seminars, corporate and community events
- Business incubator to resource emerging businesses and co-working space for local entrepreneurs
- Food hall featuring local chefs, vendors and emerging entrepreneurs highlighting culturally diverse cuisine
- National Juneteenth Plaza, public courtyard, and greenspace
President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2022, marking the fulfillment of Opal Lee’s lifelong cause of making Juneteenth a federal holiday. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, announcing the emancipation of slaves in Texas. The date was 2 ½ years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth has been a Texas state holiday since 1980.
Though museum advocates fell short of the $15 million they sought from the state, Lee, 96, vowed to press ahead into the next legislative session in two years.
“I plan to be down there so often, they think I live there,” Lee told the Fort Worth Report.
Howard said the the funding was secured through the efforts of Sens. Phil King, Kelly Hancock and Royce West, all of whom represent portions of Tarrant County, and Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth.
For now, Howard said his team is focused on executing its capital acquisition strategy, expediting its construction schedule, and developing the foundation of its programming footprint.
To date, the museum has raised $30 million, he said.
“We’re pleased that the state sought to find a million dollars in its budget to support our initiative,” Howard said to the Report. “And so, we’re going to…put it to good use.”
