‘We want to welcome everyone’: Brazos Valley African American Museum hosting Juneteenth festivities

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Juneteenth is Wednesday, and there will be several events throughout the Brazos Valley for families to attend.

The Brazos Valley African American Museum is hosting a celebration with exhibits, books, a documentary viewing and family search resources.

“We want to welcome everyone to our museum,” Mildred Davis said.

Davis is the museum’s board chair.

The museum’s Emancipation exhibit will walk families through the history of Juneteenth. It has a timeline of events dating back to “watch night” on December 31, 1862.

“Everyone needs to know the history of Juneteenth, why it is Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, a day for all to celebrate,” Davis said.

Another activity families can enjoy is exploring the museum’s library. There will be kid and adult-friendly Juneteenth books for them to read.

One is Opal Lee’s book “Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth.”

“Opal Lee is living in Fort Worth, Texas, and she is the grandmother of Juneteenth,” Davis said. “She is the reason why everyone is celebrating Juneteenth.”

Along with the book being available to read, the museum’s team will give four of the books away starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

In addition, the museum will host a viewing of part one of the “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” documentary.

A panel discussion will follow.

“We will discuss the documentary, and we will share experiences that we have had,” Davis said. “It’s so important for us to share, and it’s so important for us to view documentaries together so others will get a better outlook on how we viewed it.”

Throughout the day, families can also take advantage of the Pruitt-Sadberry Genealogy Family History Search.

“We want you to get started, but if you have already started, the volunteers will help you to unstuck yourself,” Davis said.

Appointments aren’t required to participate in the search.

“It’s very important so that you know what illnesses, where you were born, what property you may own,” Davis said. “You can copy your marriage certificates or your death certificates and you can find out what diseases run in your family so that your children will know and you can pass that on from one generation to the next.”

The museum opens at noon Wednesday, and admission is free.

To learn more about the Brazos Valley African Museum, click here.