06/23/2026
On the 150th commemoration of Juneteenth - back in 2016 - TAAACC hosted a day of activities in Austin, beginning with a press conference at the Capitol.
We purposefully chose June 20th for the commemoration because - as a business advocacy organization - we believe it is as important to memorialize the day that marks the entry of Black Texans - newly freed from the horrors of chattel slavery - into lives as active contributors to the Texas economy.
On June 20, 1865 Black craftsmen and tradesmen began the arduous task of selling their skills - the very skills that made their stolen labor valuable just a day before!
We coined that commemorative event “From Galveston To Greatness” because there is NO other way to characterize the transformation of people held in bo***ge to real life business men and women!
Today, ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX years later, Texas is home to the largest Black population in America AND the second most Black-owned businesses in this country. There is no other descriptive that can accurately capture this historic rise but G-R-E-A-T!
If you know anything about Texas you know it is home to among the most virulent strains of racism to be found in America. If you know anything about the Texas response to the issuing of General Orders #3 you can imagine the violence-cloaked hatred spewed like projectile vomit… you know the vile hostility the newly emancipated CITIZENS faced - the unrelenting, unmitigated poison-filled devastation that rained down on people simply trying to make a living.
So today, June 20, 2026, we take a moment to praise the bravery those heroes deemed necessary to get their prodigy to today. Cross burnings, lynchings, stolen land deeds, and hate-inspired laws, rules and regulations did not deter the march from Galveston.
My question… my challenge… is can Black Texas today summon the same valiant courage? Or will we continue to prove WE ARE NOT OUR ANCESTORS?
