Many thoughts come to mind when thinking about Georgetown, Texas. However, a rich history of celebrating Black culture was not one of them for me. This is why it’s very important for us to educate ourselves and to not judge a book by its cover because within Georgetown is the Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association (GCCMA), an almost 50 year old organization whose whole existence is to preserve and teach Black history in Georgetown.
Founded in 1975, the GCCMA’s original purpose was to be the caretakers of the now 118 year old Afro-American Citizens Memorial Garden Cemetery, which they still do. The earliest burials in this seven acre cemetery are thought to have been previously enslaved people. There is also a section with previous residents of Hispanic descent. Though there’s only about 300 headstones in the entire cemetery, a land survey in 2013 revealed that there are over 500 unmarked graves there as well.
The GCCMA also owns the Willie Hall Center and the African American Shotgun House. The Willie Hall Center is a community center located at 906 West 17th Street in Georgetown, Texas, named after Mrs. Willie Hall, a still present staple to the Georgetown community. The facility is open to the neighborhood for multiple uses, including hosting events.
The African American Shotgun House is exactly what it sounds like. If you aren’t familiar, a shotgun house is a long house, front to back, where every room is connected by doors, with no hallways. This style of house was most commonly found in Black neighborhoods because they were affordable and easy to build. This specific house is located at 801 West Street and was built between 1920 and 1930. The GCCMA plans to use it as a “living history museum” with a time capsular exhibition of items donated by the community.
Now, back to Juneteenth. The city of Georgetown has celebrated the holiday at San Gabriel Park since 1952. That’s pretty impressive, considering the time period. Sometime after its inception, the GCCMA stepped in as the event sponsor and organizer. This year, you can celebrate Juneteenth all month long in Georgetown by visiting the Juneteenth History Display at the Georgetown Library. Then, of course, there’s events the weekend before Juneteenth as well.
Friday, June 14, attend Soul at City Center (we like the sound of that). This is a live music event held at Georgetown City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, Georgetown, Texas, 6:30pm-8:30pm. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and snacks. Then, on Saturday, June 15, the Juneteenth Parade and Festival will take place, all at San Gabriel Park, 445 E. Morrow Street, Georgetown, Texas.
The parade will kick things off at 10:30am, immediately followed by a special program at 11:00am. Then the Juneteenth Festival will be 12:00pm-4:00pm, and will include a live DJ, dance performances, activities for children, vendor booths, a silent auction, bingo, a spades tournament, food, fun, and much more. If you’ve never been before, definitely add this to your Juneteenth plans this year. Also, explore Georgetown and San Gabriel Park. It’s actually very beautiful.
Learn more about the Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association and how you can get involved. For a full list of Juneteenth events happening all over central Texas, be sure to check out our Go19th Guide.
