KHOU-TV returns to the UHD campus with a special viewing of its newest Juneteenth documentary: Juneteenth: 1865 – 2005 | Kinfolk and Family. Produced by KHOU-TV News Anchors Mia Gradney and Len Cannon, the documentary will be shown at 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 18, in UHD’s TDECU Tour Room in the Welcome Center, 201 Girard St.
KHOU News Anchors Gradney and Cannon will be on hand for the screening to introduce the documentary and host a question-and-answer session following it. Admission is free and open to all. Refreshments will be provided.
The 30-minute documentary is the latest in a series of award-winning works by Gradney and Cannon, which focus on various aspects of Juneteenth, or Emancipation Day, on June 19, and marks the second year in a row that UHD is hosting a special screening of the documentary.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday with Texas roots. In 1863 during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that enslaved people living in the Confederate states to be free. More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached Texas. It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas.
UHD is proud to continue the tradition—a day early—and invites the campus community and beyond to participate and learn more about this important moment in our history. RSVP here!