As the National Juneteenth Museum works toward reaching its fundraising goals, CEO Jarred Howard wants to make sure its mission of preserving history remains prominent.
In order to do so, the nonprofit is launching the inaugural Freedom Vibes festival in Fort Worth June 19-22.
The festival is part of the museum’s preconstruction programming aimed to make Panther CIty the nation’s epicenter for Juneteenth education and celebrations, Howard told the Report.
“Because we haven’t built yet, it’s important that we stay visible,” he said. “Beyond that, Juneteenth is growing in popularity and we think it’s critical that we build programming. We want the world to converge at Fort Worth for the holiday every year.”
The festival will kick off a week after Texas lawmakers agreed to allocate $10 million toward the construction of the museum in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside. The Juneteenth museum has now raised $50 million — over two-thirds of its $70 million goal to start building.
Howard declined to comment on when the Juneteenth museum is expected to open, but said the nonprofit’s priority is breaking ground as soon as possible.
Lifting Black voices in Fort Worth
The four-day celebration kicks off at 3 p.m. June 19 at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA with a speaker series featuring civil rights legend Andrew Young, 93, who formerly served as U.N. ambassador during President Jimmy Carter’s administration and as a close confidant to Martin Luther King Jr.
Young will be joined on stage by “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee to explore the challenges of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Howard said the discussion serves to educate attendees about how racism has evolved and what lessons can be learned from the past.
“The best lessons you learn are the ones from other people’s experiences,” he said. “Hearing from two (civil rights leaders) near centenarians is going to be an afternoon to remember for sure.”
That night, Freedom Vibes will raise the curtain on its concert series at Bass Performance Hall with musical performances from Orchestra Noir, known for their blend of hip-hop and soul. The O’Jays and The Whispers will perform at the downtown Fort Worth venue the night of June 20.
The festival will then take over Evans Avenue Plaza in the Historic Southside at 3 p.m. June 21 for a free block party to highlight local musicians, artists and vendors. The plaza is located near the proposed urban village at Evans Avenue and East Rosedale aimed to revitalize the neighborhood.
“Evans Plaza literally articulates Black history in the city of Fort Worth,” Howard said.
“To have (the block party) there is a full circle for us.”
Freedom Vibes comes to an end at 4 p.m. June 22 with a free Sunday gospel experience at the Potter’s House of Fort Worth featuring some North Texas church choirs.
In conjunction with the festival, the Fort Works Art gallery in the Cultural District is hosting its “Declarations of Freedom” to explore themes of reclaiming history through revisited narratives and stories of liberation. The show features over 10 artists, including Fort Worth-based Sedrick and Letitia Huckaby.
The exhibition is on view through July 19.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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