Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy

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Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy

We support community engagement, re-education, and heritage tourism.

The Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that protects and preserves the history of Freedmen's Town for the benefit of future generations.

06/06/2026

Did you know Houston's Pride Parade was founded by a Black man?
Larry Bagneris – civil rights activist and community organizer – organized Houston's very first Pride celebration in 1979. He fought through racism, homophobia, and a hostile police department to make it happen. And for decades, most people had no idea.

Even local activist Harrison Guy, who was named a 2019 Houston Pride grand marshal, didn't know this history until he started digging through the archives. He said it best: "Imagine if I had known that Blackness was a part of its founding."

That's the thing about Black history – So much of what we celebrate today was built on the courage of Black men and women whose names we were never taught. The freedoms we enjoy, the spaces we gather in, the parades we march through…somebody fought for those.

This Juneteenth, we get to celebrate that legacy and so much more. Join us on June 17th for Juneteenth Fest 161 — Home Base: Freedom at 161

Visit JuneteenthFest161.org for more info and to RSVP.

Happy Pride!

06/03/2026

We’re just TWO WEEKS away from Juneteenth Fest 161: Homebase, and we want YOU right where the history happened 🧱✨

Celebrate Juneteenth where freedom took root 161 years ago in Freedmen’s Town, Houston’s first African American neighborhood.

Last year’s Juneteenth 160 Fest: Building What We Started was absolutely HISTORIC. 🎉 Over 1,000 of you showed out to honor emancipation in the very streets our ancestors walked. To top it all off, we had an unforgettable Fireside Chat with Dr. Marc Lamont Hill () and HFTC Executive Director Sharon Fletcher.

This year, Houston’s very own Kendrick Sampson () will be joining us for a Fireside Chat at the African American History Research Library in the historic Gregory School.

What’s waiting for you at Juneteenth in Freedmen’s Town? A little bit of everything:
🕺 Line-dancing
📚 Zumba workshops
🎤 Annual Juneteenth Talent Show with prizes presented by Houston Grand Opera (Apply today, submissions close at midnight!)
🎨 Art workshops
🍔 Food trucks & Black-owned business vendors
…and so much more.

✅ Free entry — grab your FREE ticket right now: 🔗 www.juneteenthfest161.org or tap the link in our bio

Let’s make history together again. Tag a friend you’re bringing with you! 👇🏾

06/02/2026

In conversation this June: Stronger Together: Shared Leadership in Action ✊🏾

We’re bringing together three incredible leaders changing Houston hand in hand — meet our panelists:
✨ Rain Eatmon ()
✨ John Nicklos III ()
✨ Keda Sharber (.keda)

They’ll share how their work is shaping change in Houston’s Black communities. This Porch Talk is moderated by HFTC Executive Director Sharon Fletcher ().

As always, our Porch Talk series is FREE — just RSVP at the link in our bio or head to houstonfreedmenstown.org/events to grab your spot.

See you on the porch! 🏡

06/01/2026

📣📣Calling all Houston performers: the Juneteenth Fest Talent show deadline has been extended!

Shine your light at Freedmen’s Town’s biggest celebration of the year! Juneteenth Fest 161: Home Base, is a chance to spotlight local artists, performers, musicians, dancers, poets, and entertainers carrying forward the legacy of Black creativity and culture.

The top act will receive a cash prize sponsored by Houston Grand Opera () to invest back into their craft.

🎤 Apply by June 3
📍 Spots are limited
🔗 tinyurl.com/HFTCTalentShow161

06/01/2026

June is here, and there’s no better place to celebrate the spirit of Juneteenth than in Freedmen’s Town—Houston’s first African American neighborhood, established by formerly enslaved people following emancipation.

This month, we honor the legacy of freedom, resilience, culture, and community through a series of events, programs, exhibitions, and conversations for all ages:
✨ June 4 – Porch Talk with Black Leaders in Houston ft. , .keda, and  🎉 June 6 – ’s annual Celebrate Freedom Festival 📚 June 9 – Star Academy in Freedmen’s Town camp begins 🎊 June 17 – Juneteenth Fest and Fireside chat with  🏛 June 19 – 5-Year Anniversary of Freedmen’s Town Heritage District Designation 🔤 June 19 – Spelling Bee ⚾ All Month Long – BLACKBALL | Baseball, Barbeque & Blues Exhibition + Daily Heritage Tours

As we commemorate Juneteenth, we invite you to gather where history lives. Explore the stories, people, and places that helped shape Houston while celebrating the ongoing legacy of Black freedom and achievement.

🎟 Register and RSVP for upcoming events through the link in our bio.

05/30/2026

Today, we celebrate a special milestone marking the second anniversary of the Freedmen’s Town Visitor Center.

Over the past two years, the Visitor Center has become a hub for preserving and sharing the rich history, culture, and legacy of Freedmen’s Town. From exhibitions in our Row House Galleries—currently featuring BLACKBALL | Baseball, Barbeque & Blues—to community programs like our quarterly Porch Talks, CultureVerse Summer Camp, Reading with a Rapper, STEM camps, Community Fun Day, and our annual Juneteenth 161 Fest, the Visitor Center continues to bring people together through education, arts, and cultural engagement.

The Visitor Center also serves as the starting point for our historic brick street tours, offering visitors an opportunity to experience one of Houston’s most significant cultural landmarks firsthand.

We invite you to visit the Freedmen’s Town Visitor Center and join us for our upcoming programs, including:
📍 Porch Talk – June 4
📍 Juneteenth 161 Fest: Home Base and Fireside Chat featuring Kendrick Sampson
…and much more.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more and reserve your spot.

05/29/2026

Have you visited the Freedmen’s Town Visitor Center yet? 🏠

From daily heritage tours to community gatherings like Porch Talks and our annual Juneteenth 161 Fest, the Visitor Center is a space where history, culture, and community come together.

Whether it’s a first-time visitor or a longtime community member like Aaliyah, every story, reflection, and shared moment helps shape the living legacy of Freedmen’s Town. 🎥✨

Through art, history, and conversation, Freedmen’s Town continues to be a place of connection, remembrance, and celebration.
Join us at the Freedmen’s Town Visitor Center.

05/28/2026

🧱 This Juneteenth, we are proud to honor three Hometown Heroes, Charonda Johnson (), Naomi Carrier (), and Riverside General Hospital, as community staples who have demonstrated, through their lives and their work, what it truly means to build and sustain power in Freedmen’s Town and throughout Houston. Their stories are the continuation of everything this neighborhood was built on. We look forward to celebrating them on the Gregory Stage during our 1:00 PM Hometown Hero segment of Juneteenth Fest on June 17th.

🔗Celebrate Juneteenth with us! Get your FREE ticket at the link in bio!

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Houston, TX

Website

http://www.houstonfreedmenstown.org/donate, https://book.peek.com/s/51feb077-e16e-4e0c-8945-1f3c37e23d12/qxeL1, https://

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