Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum will host its 11th annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The free event will take place on Montgomery Street in front of the Museum and include free admission to the museum and the Cleveland Avenue Time Machine, merchandise and service vendors, food trucks, a kids’ play area, live entertainment and giveaways throughout the day.
Observed annually on June 19, Juneteenth is the oldest known commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, commemorating the date in 1865 when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops landed at Galveston Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were free. In 2021, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation declaring Juneteenth as a federal holiday. On May 9, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 165 into law, marking Juneteenth as an annual state holiday.
Live entertainment for the day will feature Comedienne Joy as the emcee, DJ at Large, local talent throughout the day and a performance by the Tuscaloosa-based band Brother 2 Brother at 1 p.m.
“The Rosa Parks Museum is excited to commemorate Juneteenth with our 11th annual celebration,” said Donna Beisel, the museum’s director of operations. “This represents one of our largest celebrations each year, and we welcome all to come out to tour the museum and take part in this important commemoration.”
In addition to the outdoor entertainment, a special program, “We’re Making It Personal,” commemorating Juneteenth and the Browder v. Gayle case, the landmark 1956 federal court case that ruled segregation on public transportation was unconstitutional, will take place at noon in the museum’s auditorium. The case was heard before a three-judge panel of the United States District Court and in June of 1956, the District Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. The City of Montgomery and the State of Alabama appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, who affirmed the District Court’s ruling in November of that year.
For additional information, contact the museum at 334-241-8615 or visit the website at troy.edu/rosaparks.
