This Black History Month, join us in celebrating the rich history of Emancipation Park, the oldest park in Houston and the state of Texas! 🎉

This Black History Month, join us in celebrating the rich history of Emancipation Park, the oldest park in Houston and the state of Texas! 🎉

The city of Houston is teaming up with the Veterans Affairs and local community members to host a free services and resource fair for Houston area veterans and active military members.

Juneteenth will be honored across the Houston-area on Saturday.

Saturday, Houston’s Emancipation Park Conservancy is welcoming everyone to their annual Juneteenth celebration. It kicks off with a Freedom Walk at 7am and ends with a concert. Today at 1pm on Houston Life, Melanie Camp is out at Emancipation Park in the Third Ward to tell us more about this fun event.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Emancipation Park Conservancy announced details of the city’s upcoming Juneteenth celebration.

Here’s a look at some of the key Houston historical anniversaries coming up during this particular calendar year.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is holding a news conference at Emancipation Park about the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

Emancipation Park is located in Houston’s Third Ward, and is a great place for community members to gather and celebrate Juneteenth. This year, they have been presenting virtual programs on their online platforms throughout the month of June, with support from corporate partners like Shell.

Emancipation Park is a historical park and the first and only park built by freed slaves for a gathering place for African Americans and it's history continues to live on today.

Several KPRC 2 anchors, reporters and employees rolled up their sleeves Tuesday morning to help beautify Emancipation Park.

On Thursday, April 1, 2021, Virginia's highest court ruled that the city of Charlottesville can take down this and another statue of a Confederate general. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia's highest court ruled Thursday that the city of Charlottesville can take down two statues of Confederate generals, including one of Robert E. Lee that became the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017. AdThe Jackson statue was erected in Jackson Park in 1921 and the Lee statue was erected in Lee Park in 1924. The state Supreme Court also ruled that the circuit court erred in ordering the city to pay $365,000 in plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and costs. University of Virginia law Richard Schragger, who specializes in the intersection of constitutional law and local government law, said he took the position early in the litigation that the law didn’t apply to the Charlottesville statues.

They decided to name the land Emancipation Park. From then on out, the community gathered at Emancipation Park every Juneteenth with festive celebrations that included music, food and dancing. For a while, Emancipation Park was the only park and swimming pool that African Americans could use since Texas was still a segregated state. In 2017, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, the OST/Almeda Redevelopment Corridors, Emancipation Park Conservancy, and the Houston Parks and Recreation Department rededicated Emancipation Park after an extensive renovation process. AdPeople from different walks of life visit Emancipation Park, cherishing all of the amenities and honoring historical information that the park has to offer.

HOUSTON – It was known as the only park blacks were able to congregate at and is now known as the oldest park not only in Houston, but in the state of Texas. The effort in getting Emancipation Park was led by the Reverend Jack Yates, a Baptist minister and former slave. His church, Antioch Baptist, and Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church formed the Colored People’s Festival and the Emancipation Park Association. President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation and published it on January 1, 1863, but it did not reach Texas for two years. The park now host several in-person and now virtual programs which can be found by clicking here.

HOUSTON – A traveling memorial honoring more than 200 Black Americans from Martin Luther King Jr. to George Floyd opened to the public on Tuesday morning in Emancipation Park. Kylon Ratcliff visited the memorial on Tuesday morning and said it was difficult to see the names and images. “It is something that was necessary and it’s something that reminds me there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Ratcliff. Oceil White said that she hopes other Houstonians will come to the memorial and take time to reflect. Houston rapper, activist and philanthropist Trae Tha Truth led the effort to bring the “Say Their Names” exhibit to his hometown, which was set up and unveiled Monday evening at Emancipation Park.

HOUSTON – A traveling memorial honoring more than 200 Black Americans from Martin Luther King Jr. to George Floyd arrived in Houston on Monday. Houston rapper, activist and philanthropist Trae The Truth led the effort to bring the “Say Their Names” exhibit to his hometown, which was set up and unveiled Monday evening at Emancipation Park. “What we’re doing with things like this, we’ll be able to spark a whole new wave of helping people understand why we say their names across the world,” Trae The Truth said. The exhibition began in Portland, Oregon, on Juneteenth 2020, established by the group “Say Their Names Memorial.” The exhibit has traveled to 25 cities so far, most recently in Dallas. The memorial will be open from Tuesday through October 13, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.For more information, go to www.saytheirnamesmemorials.com.

HOUSTON Several dozens gathered at Emancipation Park for a Black Lives More Than Matter rally Saturday. The gathering was one of several across Houston, part a growing movement to demand change. We want to reimagine policing and reallocating things, such as having maybe a mental health team, said organizer Dav Lewis. Were just trying to raise awareness and show people how voting can enact change and affect change in their community, said organizer Carl Ward. That is our message: Its really not just vote but be an informed voter.Organizers said a march to city hall will take place in the coming days.

HOUSTON Emancipation Park Conservancy hosted a virtual Juneteenth event so despite COVID-19, people can continue to learn about Juneteenth. Every year, thousands of people flock to Emancipation Park for the annual Juneteenth celebration, but this year, it was quiet. Emancipation Park was purchased by four people in 1872 to commemorate the end of slavery and provide a place for the annual Juneteenth celebrations. During segregation, Emancipation Park was the only public park African Americans could use. Emancipation Park is the oldest park in Houston and one of the oldest across the state.