🖤✊🏾 Juneteenth, Texas History, and the Power of Storytelling: Write Your Voice Into History
When we write, we remember. When we speak, we reclaim. When we gather, we build.
As a writing collective rooted in Texas — the very heart of where Juneteenth history lives — it’s important for us at 724 Press Collective to honor this day not only with reflection but through creative expression. Juneteenth isn’t just a chapter in a history book — it’s a living, breathing story that continues to shape our communities, our families, and our art.
📜 A Brief History: Why Juneteenth Matters
On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Union troops arrived and informed enslaved Black people that they were free — more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It marked a delayed, but deeply significant, moment of liberation for the last remaining enslaved people in the U.S.
For Black Texans and communities nationwide, Juneteenth became a time to celebrate freedom, resilience, and the enduring fight for justice. It’s a moment that reminds us the road to freedom has always been complicated — and ongoing.
✍🏾 Writing as Resistance, Writing as Memory
Juneteenth isn’t just about looking back — it’s about reclaiming space in the present and future. As writers, we hold the power to preserve untold stories, challenge oppressive narratives, and imagine new worlds.
Whether through poetry, essays, songs, or fiction, Black writers have long used the written word to document, disrupt, and dream.
We invite you this month — especially those in our Texas community — to put pen to paper and explore what freedom means to you, what stories deserve remembering, and what voices history too often tries to silence.
🎤 Join Us: Roots & Rhythm Juneteenth Open Mic
We’re creating space for those voices at our upcoming event:
📅 Thursday, June 19, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM
📍 Five Central | 2736 Virginia Street, Houston, TX 77098
RSVP now via Eventbrite -> Click Here to Register
What to expect:
✨ Happy Hour, Food & Local Vendors (7-8:30 PM)
🎙️ Featured poet performances
📖 Open mic sign-ups at 8:30 PM
🖤 A community of writers, creatives, and poetry lovers
All poetry styles and experience levels are welcome — whether you’re a seasoned spoken word artist or simply want to read a piece that matters to you.
📣 Join Us and Tell Your Friends!
This Juneteenth, let’s honor history not just by remembering it — but by adding to it.
RSVP for the open mic here (we encourage $5 donations minimum to continue sharing these free community events!), follow us on Instagram @724presscollective, and join us for a night of liberation, rhythm, and storytelling.
