Juneteenth, 1977, Fort Worth, Texas

I learned about Juneteenth writing a story about it for the Forth Worth Star Telegram. I’m from Connecticut, and was unaware of this holiday until I spent the summer of 1977 as a reporter intern.

I don’t remember much about the celebration, other than that it was in some kind of field with bleacher seats. I interviewed an older black gentleman about what the holiday meant to him, and the staff photographer got his picture. The story ran on the front page the next day.

Fort Worth is still celebrating Juneteenth, and in a big way.