Juneteenth: A Deeper History of Freedom and Belonging
Juneteenth marks the moment when freedom finally reached the last enslaved people in the United States—not in 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, but more than two years later, in Texas. That day became known as Emancipation Day, later Juneteenth—a celebration born of delay, endurance, and triumph. First honored by Black Texans and now a national holiday, Juneteenth remains a powerful reminder that freedom is not just declared—it must be delivered. Austin’s parks have always reflected the promise—and the failures—of public life in America. On Juneteenth, as we commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, it’s important to recognize that Black Austinites have long fought not only for freedom, but for access: to land, to leisure, and to belonging in public space.
In the years after emancipation, newly freed Texans began organizing annual gatherings to celebrate their freedom. One of the earliest recorded Juneteenth events in Austin took place at Wheeler’s Grove—now Eastwoods Park near UT campus—featuring parades, military drills, speeches by both Black and white community leaders, baseball games, and storytelling by formerly enslaved people about the horrors of slavery and the battles that ended it. These gatherings were public affirmations of identity, resilience, and joy—held in open-air spaces where the community could come together.
Emancipation Day celebration in Austin in 1900.
In 1905, Black Austinites formally created Emancipation Park, a five-acre site at Rosewood Avenue and Poquito Street, purchased with funds raised by the Emancipation Celebration Association.
From 1906 to 1938, it was the central site of Austin’s Juneteenth events until the city seized the land through eminent domain to build public housing. Juneteenth festivities moved to Rosewood Park shortly after, where they continue today in the form of parades, music, and family celebrations.
But even west of East Austin, the legacy of exclusion and resistance has shaped the city’s green spaces—including in Zilker Park.
Zilker is often celebrated for its sweeping views, vibrant festivals, and natural springs—but it also holds stories of segregation, activism, and the long fight for equity in public life. For decades, Barton Springs Pool was off-limits to Black residents, despite being publicly owned. The 1928 city master plan codified segregation in schools, parks, and other services, cementing racial boundaries across Austin.
That began to change in 1960, when a young Black student named Joan Means Khabele defied the status quo. After being denied access to Barton Springs for her senior picnic, she returned on her own—and jumped in. Her act of protest sparked a wave of weekly “swim-ins,” as more Black Austinites and allies joined her in challenging the city’s unwritten segregationist policies. Their courage ultimately led to the desegregation of Barton Springs Pool in 1962.
Joan’s legacy continues to inspire. In 2024, the City of Austin renamed the historic Barton Springs Bathhouse in her honor—a symbolic but significant gesture that acknowledges the struggle for equity in public space.
While Zilker Park may not be the formal site of Juneteenth celebrations, it remains part of the broader story. Just as Emancipation Park and Rosewood Park became gathering grounds for celebration and cultural affirmation, Zilker has been the site of protest, resilience, and—slowly—progress. It reminds us that Black freedom in Austin has always meant more than legal emancipation; it has also meant the fight for access to joy, nature, and community.
This Juneteenth, as we gather in parks across the city, we are continuing a long tradition: using public space as a platform for remembrance, resistance, and renewal. And as we do, may we recommit to building parks that truly reflect and serve all Austinites.
Zilker 351 is working to uncover and share the full history of Zilker Park—including the stories of those who were excluded, resisted, and reimagined what public space could be.
If you believe in honoring that legacy and making history accessible to all, please consider supporting our History Project with a donation today. Your gift helps bring these stories to light.