Brazoria County preparing to celebrate Juneteenth

[00:00:04]Welcome back at 9:44. [music] Tomorrow we know is Juneteenth, a national holiday that recognizes the day the last of the slaves were freed on June 19th, 1865, when the Emancipation Proclamation was read in Galveston. Many celebrations are planned across the Houston area and in Pearland. For one family, Juneteenth is part of their family legacy. Joining us now is Eugene Howard, president CEO of Visionary Outreach.

[00:00:30]>> Eugene Howard, good morning. Thank you so much for joining us.

[00:00:32]>> good to be with my good friend, so uh >> Yes, it is. Okay, first let's talk about your family's history because Juneteenth was the day that your ancestors were freed. Tell us about this.

[00:00:43]>> Well, I I truly believe Juneteenth is the true freedom day of America. It was the day that every citizen was viewed as a whole person. And yes, it's the day that the enslaved people that were descendants from Africa decided to uh take up arms and free themselves.

[00:01:00]That has been the story of of black America that uh when in doubt, bet on us. And uh they decided to uh break the chains and and fight for freedom. So, uh yes, that is a big part of uh my family's legacy and it's not just my family's legacy, it's black America's legacy. And uh no matter how they try to erase it, uh try to wipe it away, uh we won't go away.

[00:01:23]>> Yes. And Eugene, tell us a little story there about the Thompson Chapel in Fort Bend County because that was founded by the first freed black family in 1877. That is your family.

[00:01:35]>> That is my family. It's one of the biggest things uh that uh drives my drive for the work that I've done in the community, knowing that uh my grandfather, seven generations back, Premise Thompson, fought with Ulysses Grant. Uh after the war, came and settled in Sugarland, which is now new territory, uh right there off of 99 and 90, uh and settled 177 acres, built a whole community from where they were first slaved, freed the slaves on that plantation, brought the family brought the families together, and unfortunately now in 2026 all we have left is our church.

[00:02:12]>> Yeah.

[00:02:12]>> It's kind of the story of Black America and so many other families that Jim Crow and other things in Texas and America was able to take away the rightful earnings of our families. And we we won't let it go away. We're going to keep fighting and keep keep the story alive.

[00:02:30]>> And Eugene, you were also responsible in helping Brazoria County to recognize Juneteenth as a national, local, state holiday. This was years after it was declared a national holiday. Tell us about the importance of this move.

[00:02:45]>> Well, you know, Brazoria County has a troubled history. It had sundown towns.

[00:02:51]It had It was the last place to give up slavery in America. So, the fact that we were able to last year get this county to recognize Juneteenth after it being recognized as a federal holiday shows the growth and potential and the progress that can be made when people come together, even if you have different ideas, what can be accomplished when we all come together and what true freedom and true democracy and true life and liberty really means.

[00:03:19]>> And your work for fighting injustice and the mistries mistreatment of the black community, you've been doing this for several years now. It is deep in your heart. Tell us about the message that you want to send.

[00:03:31]>> Look, Black America, we understand what's going on right now. We understand that they're attacking us.

[00:03:37]We understand that they want to erase our history, but just like our forefathers and our ancestors said, we will not go away. We will sing. We will dance. We will fight, and we will ultimately win.

[00:03:49]>> Right. And there's a huge celebration this Saturday for Juneteenth. Where is it? How can people join in?

[00:03:55]>> Yes, so this Saturday I'm getting a little excited. This Saturday we will be Visionary Outreach is partnering with the city of Pearland. This is our fifth year doing this. It's free. One more time, free 99, free 99, free 99. We have a kid zone. We're going to have live entertainment, a DJ. And again, I want to shout out the first black African-American mayor in Pearland city history, Kevin Wilkes. So this is a very exciting time for us in the city of Pearland. I also want to shout out Stacy. I want to shout out Josh and Carrie and and all those great people who made this possible behind the scenes with the city of Pearland.

[00:04:32]>> All right, and we'll have more information for you, but it is this Saturday. It's at a at the park?

[00:04:36]>> It's at Independence Park from 6:00 p.m.

[00:04:39]to 9:00 p.m. Rain, sleet, shine, >> all of it.

[00:04:43]>> We're doing it.

[00:04:45]>> Eugene Howard, thank you so much for all of your information and great history and story for us to share. Thank you, Eugene.

[00:04:52]>> Yes.

[00:04:54]>> All right, Houston is getting ready for Juneteenth and we've got the full days of events at Emancipation Park starting at 1:00 p.m. That is tomorrow, June 19th. KPRC 2 News anchor Keith Garvin will be emceeing this celebration. There will be a domino tournament, live performances, kids zone, food vendors, and the affair encourages folks to dress in all white. Organizers are also reminding people to follow park rules.

[00:05:21]KPRC 2 News will have a table out there.

[00:05:23]Be sure to stop by. There are so many