FREE FOR ALL On June 19 Texans will be celebrating the end of slavery in our state. It was on that day, back in 1865, that Union major general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and pronounced that the institution of slavery was dead. Ever since, various Juneteenth festivities—from historical to nontraditional—have commemorated this monumental occasion. Galveston: This port city is the logical place to celebrate Juneteenth (sort of like going to Philadelphia for the Fourth of July), and on June 19 a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation will be followed by a parade and a gospel fest. Austin: On June 21 and 22 the historic Victory Grill—the hip east-side venue known for featuring such greats as B. B. King, T-Bone Walker, and Big Joe Williams back in the fifties and sixties—will bring out the amazing nineteen-year-old blues guitarist Gary Clark, Jr., along with Mel Davis and the Blues Specialists, Hot Wax, the Charles Medearis Group, and others for a street festival. San Antonio: There isn’t a better time to see the original Emancipation Proclamation. The fragile document will be on display June 19-22 as part of “American Originals: Treasures From the National Archives,” which brings many other impressive papers, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, to the Witte Museum. (See Austin: Music/Dance; Galveston: Other Events; and San Antonio: Museums/Galleries.)
