Fort Worth’s National Juneteenth Museum Is Emerging as a City and Cultural Changer — Historic Southside to Get a $70 Million Beacon of Freedom

As the National Juneteenth Museum begins to take shape in Fort Worth’s historic Southside neighborhood, the new national holiday of Juneteenth is becoming an even bigger celebration. America’s newest federal holiday is about freedom for all ― and the work is far from complete.

Often called the grandmother of Juneteenth, Fort Worth native Opal Lee laced up her walking shoes at age 90 (she is now 96 years young) and made her vision a reality. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, largely as a result of her tireless work. But Lee didn’t stop there. Her enduring mission is to see the entire country embrace and celebrate what was for generations largely only an African American holiday. The new National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth will play a key role in continuing that vital education, and spreading Opal Lee’s enthusiasm for unity.

Lee has told PaperCity Fort Worth that her vision calls for Juneteenth to become the beginning of a major annual celebration that lasts all the way through the Fourth of July. She wants to see it embraced by all races, no longer an African American holiday, but rather the leadoff event for the entire country to focus on the meaning of freedom for all its citizens.

The National Juneteenth Museum will commemorate America’s newest national holiday, and its history ― when word of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the people enslaved on Galveston Island on June 19, 1865 ― two and a half years after the fact. Some 250,000 people received the news of their freedom that day when General Gordon Granger announced it publicly in what is known as General Order No. 3:

“The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor. The freed are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

But Juneteenth is more than merely a historic event ― it’s a way forward. It’s a clarion call. Freedom is the birthright of every American. Juneteenth is about perfecting that vision, expanding freedom for all.

Fort Worth’s New Juneteenth Museum

Demolition on the Fort Worth site at East Rosedale and Evans Avenue began in March, clearing the way for construction to begin on the National Juneteenth Museum.. A grand opening is anticipated on June 19, 2025.

“Seeing the national museum moving forward is a dream fulfilled,” Opal Lee says in a statement. “I’ve had a little Juneteenth Museum on that spot for almost 20 years, and to see it become a central place for discussion, collaboration and learning, seems to be the providential next step.

“From my walking campaign to Washington, D.C., the petition, and having Juneteenth declared a national holiday. It’s mind-boggling, but I’m glad to see it come to pass.”

Jarred Howard will serve as the CEO of the new museum which will become the epicenter of education, preservation and celebration of Juneteenth ― and the extension of Opal Lee’s legacy.

Of course, the National Juneteenth Museum will be more than a collection of artifacts. It will be a 50,000-square-foot cultural center that hosts lectures, events and performances. The hub will be a business incubator, with a food hall on site and a grand green space for the community to enjoy.

Architectural renderings of the National Juneteenth Museum reveal a dramatic pitched gable roofline. The lead design architect is the New York office of Denmark-based Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), with KAI Enterprises serving as the architect of record. KAI is one of the largest minority-owned AEC firms in the country.

“From the architectural design to the exhibition design, one of our main objectives is to make America aware of the history and significance of Juneteenth,” Howard tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “Much like The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas can take a visitor who may know nothing about the Kennedy assassination and educate them. It whets your appetite to know more.”

Ultimately the National Juneteenth Museum will be on the second level of a two-story building. The lower level will feature a restaurant, a business incubator, a 250-seat amphitheater as well as other storefronts. Its design intentionally incorporates the Juneteenth Star which is featured on the official Juneteenth flag ― essentially becoming a beacon of light for the revitalization of Fort Worth’s historic Southside neighborhood.

“When people partner with their donations to this project, they are partnering in the rebirth of the historic Southside, ” Howard says. “This is a community that hasn’t seen any significant investment in over 30 years.”

Howard hopes the new museum and its surrounding development will be a catalyst for renewal.

Gallery spaces will continue on the mezzanine which overlooks the courtyard, where the five-point star — a symbolic reference to Texas being the last state in the union to recognize the freedom of enslaved residents — will be engraved in the terrazzo flooring of the courtyard, The shape of the building itself will burst like a nova around that star.

Plans for one of the residential aspects of the development ― called The Opal, named in honor of Opal Lee ― were recently revealed as well. In conjunction with Fort Worth Housing Authority, The Opal will be a 339-unit mixed-income community, bolstering efforts to provide safe and affordable housing, which is much lacking in this sector of town and North Texas in general.

The Fort Worth City Council pledged $15 million toward the museum project in September of 2022. “The contribution will only be made once the balance of the $70 million project is raised,” the council noted at the time in a release.

While fundraising efforts have already secured nearly $30 million to complete the ambitious National Juneteenth Museum, donations from private citizens will be vital to making this dream a reality.

“It will not happen without smaller donations, and buy-in from individuals in the community,” Howard tells PaperCity. “We are currently about one third of the way to our goal, and it’s important that the citizenry take ownership of its new Juneteenth Museum, and join with us.”

Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth in Fort Worth This Year

Fly your Flag – It’s a federal holiday, so it’s time to display your flag on Juneteenth — Monday, June 19.

The Inaugural Uniting Voices Speaker Series will be held this Thursday, June 15 at I.M. Terrell beginning at 7 pm. Bryan Stevenson, the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, will speak. Stevenson’s critically acclaimed memoir documenting his life-changing work to combat social injustices in criminal law is called Just Mercy.

Ms. Opal’s Walk For Freedom  — Walk alongside the Grandmother of Juneteenth on Monday, June 19th beginning at 9:30 am along Evans Avenue. Registration is required.

The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo will hold special performances this Saturday, June 17 at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm. The longest-running Black Rodeo in the United States was founded in 1984 by Lu Vason.

The 3rd Annual Juneteenth Commem-ART-ration will be held at the Como Community Center this Saturday June 17, from 5 pm to 8 pm. Attendees can express themselves through painting, spoken word, or Afrobeat dancing.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden: Juneteenth at the Garden will be celebrated on Monday, June 19, from 8 am to 6 pm. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden invites guests to visit the Garden with free admission in honor of the Juneteenth federal holiday.

Visit Fort Worth has a full list of additional events celebrating Juneteenth.