In commemoration of Juneteenth, the North Carolina State Capitol will host an exhibit and Juneteenth themed tours Saturday, June 18. Juneteenth (a combination of 'June' and 'nineteenth') marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed.
The themed Capitol tours at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. will focus on the stories of the enslaved African Americans whose skill and labor constructed and maintained the Capitol. The tours are free, but tour participants are asked to register in advance. Sign up by visiting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freedom-stories-juneteenth-tours-at-the-north-carolina-state-capitol-tickets-349660222137.
From 10 a.m.-1 p.m., representatives from the State Archives of North Carolina will be available to speak with visitors about African American genealogical resources available through the Archives. While you visit the Capitol, also feel free to check out “Freedom Stories,” a Juneteenth exhibit that features the names and stories of individuals who constructed and maintained the Capitol during slavery and whose stories also include Emancipation. The exhibit is sponsored by the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission.
This morning of history will precede the Capital City Juneteenth Celebration at Dix Park. For more information on the Capital City Juneteenth Celebration visit http://www.juneteenthraleigh.org/. For more information on Juneteenth, including how the holiday is being marked at sites across the state, visit https://www.ncdcr.gov/juneteenth.
The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the history and function of the 1840 building and Union Square. It is within the Division of State Historic Sites within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and located at One Edenton Street, Raleigh. For additional information please call or visit https://historicsites.nc.gov/.
About the African American Heritage Commission
The North Carolina General Assembly created the African American Heritage Commission (AAHC) in 2008 to “assist the Secretary of Cultural Resources in the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of African American history, arts, and culture.” With this legislation the AAHC has identified African
American heritage practitioners, such as curators, docents, and museum directors, as priority service populations. The AAHC was recognized as a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in 2017, after being housed in the Office of Archives and History and the North Carolina Arts Council. The commission works across the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to achieve the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting North Carolina’s African American history, art, and culture, for all people. For more information about the Commission, please visit https://aahc.nc.gov/.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.
###