Other events also planned
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston (BGCGH), in conjunction with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, will host a national livestreamed webinar at Galveston’s Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church on Thursday, June 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. CT to celebrate the historical significance of Juneteenth, which had its origin in Galveston. Reedy Chapel was one of the locations in which General Order #3 was read on June 19, 1865, announcing the end of slavery in Texas.
The agenda for the 90-minute event will feature performances, inspirational Juneteenth remarks and an expert panel which will discuss historical aspects of Juneteenth and where we are today. Although this is a livestreamed event, individuals are invited to be a part of the live audience.
“Once again, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston takes the lead role in the national, live-streamed webinar for Boys & Girls Clubs of America to celebrate Juneteenth at Reedy Chapel, which has a special place in history for the African American community,” says Kevin Hattery, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. “The event reinforces our diversity and inclusion efforts, as well as amplifies programming aimed to educate and to effect change.”
Hattery notes that Reedy Chapel was the first African Methodist Episcopal church in Texas, which started as a church for Black slaves in 1848. It also served as a school, educating freed men and women. Reedy was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1885 and has survived numerous hurricanes from 1900 on. A historical marker for the church was erected in 1975 by the Texas Historical Commission.
Additional Juneteenth events are planned in Galveston and the Greater Houston Region in which Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston staff and members, along with officials from Boys & Girls Clubs of America, will participate. These include a spirituals workshop and a Family Fun Day at Reedy Chapel on Monday, June 19 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in which an Emancipation March will take place.
To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, please visit www.bgcgh.org.
Photo credit: Brian Aparicio