Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Celebrates Juneteenth this Weekend

Jake Neher/WDET

Everyone knows about the 4th of July.

But have you ever heard of Juneteenth?

The holiday’s name combines the words “June” and “Nineteenth” and celebrates the day back in 1865 when it was announced in Texas that slaves were now free.

If you know your American history, you’ll know that this declaration came more than two years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. So technically the 250,000 slaves in Texas were already free, but none of them were aware of it and no one was rushing to tell them.

The Charles H Wright Museum of African American History is hosting its celebration of the holiday with a Juneteenth Jubilee Block Party taking place at the museum on Saturday, June 15^th. An afterglow will follow.

Neil Barclay, the CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum, speaks with Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson about the museum’s Juneteenth festivities and the holiday’s history.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.