Juneteenth 2026 Celebration - African Burial Ground Memorial Foundation

Join us in-person to celebrate freedom and history at the Juneteenth 2026 Celebration with the African Burial Ground Memorial Foundation!

Juneteenth 2026 Celebration

African Burial Ground Memorial Foundation

African Burial Ground Memorial Foundation in partnership with Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet & Cheryl Wills celebrate June 19, 1865 – the day enslaved African Americans in Texas were informed of their freedom.

Juneteenth symbolizes the end of slavery in the U.S and became a federal holiday in 2021. It is a reminder of resilience, progress, and the ongoing fight for equality.

Through the expressive power of dance and integrated art forms, the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet will center this year’s Juneteenth celebration as a vital part of honoring and preserving Black history.

For more than 30 years the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet has created partnerships and performed at the some of the leading institutions in New York City: Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Lincoln Center, City Center, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater, and Central Park SummerStage.

Our Juneteenth 2026 celebration will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, and NY1 news anchor, Cheryl Wills, whose own family journey from slavery to freedom offers a personal lens through which to view the broader legacy of emancipation in America. Ms. Wills’ latest book, "Juneteenth Freedom", explores the significance of the holiday and her ancestral connection to it.