The Galveston Juneteenth Festival Committee is proud to announce the much-anticipated celebration of freedom and family fun at the Galveston Juneteenth Festival, taking place on Saturday, June 15th, from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This annual event commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas and celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the African American community. Set against the scenic backdrop of Galveston, Texas, the Galveston Juneteenth Festival prom

Director of Student Ministries for Galveston Urban Ministries I moved to Texas in 8th grade as an african american kid in a mostly white neighborhood. Early on I learned how to carry myself in a way that was “culturally appropriate,” which meant not being “too black”. I would slick back my hair with way too much gel and do my best to speak as politely as I could. Everyone seemed to accept me and would comment on how well I carried myself, usually with a hint of surprise. B

A few weeks ago, hanging out at Hey Mikey’s ice cream parlor down on Postoffice, crowd-watching while occasionally making sure to dam the butter-pecan stream making its way down my sugar cone, I was struck by something I had always seen but never noticed. You know the routine, the one where you stand in line with bated breath waiting your turn to find out what’s down there in the freezer – the 20 or so colorful flavors with names running the gamut from the basic Vanilla to th

Gregory Wilson is a long time Galvestonian who’s working at the heart of what he sees as one of the biggest issues facing his community: MENTORSHIP. A founding member of Ironman, a community-focused group offering father-figure guidance for children in Black communities through Turning Point Church, Wilson was able to draw upon his own struggles growing up in Galveston to become a focal point of the kind of change he wants to see in the city. Wilson took time to speak to Cult

Galveston was touted as the Ellis Island of the South, but can it be characterized as such today? Some BOIs say Hurricane Ike was the dividing point, or when our island’s community changed. After Ike devastated Galveston in September 2008, three public housing units on the north side of Broadway and west of 25th Street, where mostly black residents lived, were flooded and subsequently demolished. The rebuilding of the public housing projects was met with fierce (and racist) o