On a gray morning on a humid Friday, the sounds of brass music, friends reuniting and cheer swelled in East Austin.<\/p>\n
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Thousands of people including city leaders, groups from community organizations and longtime East Austin residents filled Chicon Street to celebrate Juneteenth<\/a> and pass on a history of community, fellowship and progress to the next generation of Black Austinites.<\/p>\n Company A – 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers lead the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman John “JJ” Johnson wears Juneteenth-themed clothing while watching the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman Members of the Austin All-Star Band march in the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman H-E-B employees carry a banner during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman Austin firefighters drive a retired firetruck during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman Spectators cheer as the H-E-B float passes by during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman Travis County judge Andy Brown, left, greets spectator Jae Jones, right, during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman LT Powell, a CapMetro employee, left, and Katrena Wynn-Plummer, a TXDOT employee, right, care a banner in the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman Texas Longhorns head women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer hands candy to Kentric Ward during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up doing this,\u201d said Andrew Henry, who was born and raised in Austin. \u201cI\u2019m 54 and I probably only missed seven or eight marches. It\u2019s nostalgic, and it\u2019s a tradition. We love doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating June 19, 1865\u00a0\u2014 the day 250,000 slaves in Texas were finally free.\u00a0<\/p>\n Austin\u2019s celebrations trace back to 1867, according to the\u00a0Juneteenth Committee of the Greater East Austin Youth Association, which has organized the city\u2019s annual parade for decades. Texas was the first state to establish\u00a0Juneteenth as a holiday in 1979 and it\u2019s been a federal holiday for five years.<\/p>\n Henry\u2019s family has lived in Austin for six generations, he said. To him, the celebration is a both show of nostalgia and strength for Austin\u2019s Black community, which has been\u00a0increasingly pushed out<\/a> of historically Black East Austin neighborhoods by gentrification and rising property prices.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone of our grandparents had a house in\u00a0Blackland,\u201d he said, pointing to the east Austin MLK neighborhood. \u201cWe all have histories, so everyone has to participate and give what they have, because if you don\u2019t it will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018This gives them a different experience\u2019<\/p>\n Left, DeeDee Yancey holds her son Zay Watkins after he received candy from a parade participant during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin. Right, scenes from the Juneteenth parade.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Despite the threat of rain, Henry said Friday\u2019s turnout was the largest he\u2019s seen in 10 years. The parade is a unifying event, bringing together old friends, cousins and family members while adding new generations to participate, he said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Shae Brown, also an Austin native, said she has taken her three children to the festival for years and hopes that one day they\u2019ll take their own, too. The parade is not just a celebration of the past, she said, but a way the next generation can feel more comfortable and welcome in the city, especially with police officers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good for them to have a good experience with the police,\u201d Brown said as her kids grabbed candy from officers marching in the parade. \u201cBlack and brown children are often scared (of police). This gives them a different experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown said she\u2019s hopeful her children will have their own rich history in the city, including in their memories of the parade.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all very positive,\u201d Brown said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Spectators line Chicon street during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman A drummer from the Wilmer-Hutchins High School band marches in the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman A parade participant throws candy to the crowd during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n Dozens of floats progressed down Chicon Street blaring Beyonc\u00e9 music with riders throwing candy along the packed street. A city bus wrapped in a\u00a0 Juneteenth banner honked as it passed by, Austin\u2019s All Star Band gave a live performance and local leaders including Police Chief Lisa Davis and Austin Community College Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart. University of Texas basketball teams joined, as well.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAustin has a really tight-knit community,\u201d said Breya Cunningham, a University of Texas senior who\u2019s a forward on the women\u2019s team. \u201cThey come out to games whenever they can. Us doing this march and seeing people who support us and supporting them means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n To 12-year-old Kennedy London Morgan, a Manor resident who was crowned Central Texas Juneteenth Princess in 2024<\/a>, the parade is a show of \u201clegacy, sisterhood and history.\u201d Waving to younger kids while wearing her crown and sash, she said, can \u201cshow other people that you can do this, be confident and believe in your dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n A new organization, Dream Together 2030, an apolitical group inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s \u201cI Have a Dream\u201d speech, seeks to connect Austin\u2019s Black community with city leaders to realize \u201can Austin that is flourishing for everyone,\u201d said Sherwynn Patton, a committee member and co-founder of the movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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