'It shows that freedom can exist': Emancipation Park gets ready for Juneteenth

Friday is Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, and it holds special significance in Southeast Texas.

It was in Galveston on June 19, 1865, almost three years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, that the last enslaved people in our country learned they were free.

Located right in the middle of Houston's historic Third Ward, Emancipation Park was the first public park in Texas. But, to truly understand why the park matters, you have to look to the four men who anchor it.

Richard Brock, Richard Allen, Reverend Elias Dibble, and Reverend Jack Yates were former slaves who purchased the park for $1000 in 1872.

That's just ten years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed and seven years after Texans learned about it.

"It shows that freedom can exist, that it does exist, that you have to help make that exist," explained Jacqueline Bostic, the great-granddaughter of Yates.

Bostic never knew him, but she knows his legacy.

"When I was born in America as a child, I could not even vote. I could not do so many things simply because of the color of my skin," Bostic said. "I've watched, I've worked, and I've gone through history, helping to make some of the changes come about that we now take for granted."

In the early years, former slaves and their descendants could only afford to open the park once a year, and they used it to celebrate Juneteenth. Today, the park is open to the public every day, but Juneteenth still holds a special significance.

"The experience of African Americans in the United States is really a good example of the United States itself as we celebrate 250 years," Corey Wilson, the Emancipation Park Conservancy CEO and President, said. "It's all about resilience and persistence and overcoming obstacles."

"I really can't take a break," Bostic said, "because every day is a day we need to understand is our opportunity to contribute to what's going to happen the next day."