BUFFALO, N.Y. — As we approach the Juneteenth Parade and Festival this weekend and the holiday next week, we are also learning about an exciting new effort to create a visual celebration of that historic event for equality.
You just can't miss the eye-catching mural on a building wall in downtown Galveston.
NBC Nightly News and our Houston, Texas, sister station KHOU-TV covered the event in 2021, when the Juneteenth Legacy Project dedicated the mural created by artist Reginald C. Adams and his team.
"We were able to bring to life that mural over the course of about 27 days," Adams said. "We moved about 325 gallons of paint, and there was about 1,300 man hours that went into bringing that 5,000 square foot mural to life."
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The images depict the actual signing of a military order on this actual location on June 19, 1865, which is now officially the Juneteenth Holiday. That is when a Civil War Union general and his Black Union troops enforced President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves and ensure equality.
The idea, under the Absolute Equality website for Juneteenth-themed murals, has spread to other cities around the country under the guidance of Adams.
"We do have opportunities in each city to tell the story of Juneteenth through the eyes of a very localized lens, so we're focusing on individuals who have been on the forefront of freedom and emancipation for the African-American community," Adams said. "And so each mural is different, each mural is unique. The historical people, places, and events, they kind of marked that moment in time for that city, and that is what you'll see."
In 2025, Buffalo is on the list for creation of our own Juneteenth mural using elements of Buffalo's ties to racial equality efforts. They range from the Underground Railroad to the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor and more.
LeRoi Johnson, also known as the brother of the late musician Rick James, is involved, according to Adams.
"He's a phenomenal artist and attorney. Has really been kind of driving the interests in the Buffalo community," Adams said.
Adams pointed out: "There's just logistically a lot that goes into finding the right partner, finding the right walls, and finding the right artists, and of course, having to find financial resources to produce the mural."
But he is quick to add, "The seed has been sown, and I'm pretty confident given the attention and the people around the table that we'll be seeing an Absolute Equality mural in Buffalo for 2025."
You can watch more on this story and other Juneteenth events in Buffalo on the commUNITY program, which airs on WGRZ, Channel 2, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 13.
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