Having been introduced by Debra McGaughey, Assistant VP of University Relations, to
the more-than-capacity 
crowd gathered in the TDECU Tour Room on June 18, 2024, Mia Gradney, KHOU News Anchor,
documentary creator (and one of its producers), took a breath. After that, she did
what she and her co-producer and co-anchor Len Cannon did so well in their documentary,
"Juneteenth 1865-2024: A Legacy of Song," which they premiered at UHD. That is, she
told a story.
"We started this series by telling the history of a holiday, and we realized that the history of Juneteenth is deeply connected to the ongoing pursuit of freedom today. Juneteenth is not just black history," she said. "It's a shared America history."
Each year, Cannon and Gradney produce a Juneteenth documentary with a singular focus. One year it was education, another economics. This year, they chose music, as Black music provides a timeline of the pursuit of freedom, equality, and justice of African Americans, while also providing a soundscape of their enduring spirit.
Speaking about their diligent engagement with the holiday, Cannon echoed the U.S. Constitution, saying that the holiday is "a beautiful thing, an American thing, and it defines a moment in which American continued its march toward a more perfect union."
With those words the lights were dimmed, and the film began. While it opens locally in historic Reedy Chapel in Galveston, the documentary is expansive, covering hundreds of years of musical development, from labor songs, to gospel, ragtime, blues, jazz, opera, funk, and hip hop. There are also many affecting interviews (or recordings of interviews, rather) with former slaves or daughters of former slaves.
The documentary also covers the Black music industry, touching on things like broadcasters (KTSU, KCOH), record labels, venues, and festivals. Of note were Duke and Peacock Records, black-owned record labels that rose to prominence well before Motown.
The premiere was followed by a Q&A. You can view the full premiere and the curated Juneteenth playlist on the KHOU 11 website.
The 2024 edition is the fourth in the KHOU 11 Juneteenth series.
Click below to view previous Juneteenth specials: