Holocaust, African American museums commemorate Juneteenth

The Holocaust Museum Houston and the Houston Museum of African American Culture will commemorate June 19, 1865, known as Juneteenth, the day that marked the end of the Civil War, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 19.

Nearly 147 years ago, Union soldiers led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger marched into Galveston and announced the end of the Civil War, which finally enabled the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect and the beginning of freedom for those enslaved.

The evening will begin at HMAAC, where participants will visit the "PrintMatters" exhibit featuring expressionist prints by New York artist Danny Simmons and works on paper by Chicago artist Andre Guichard.

At 7 p.m., participants will go on a reflective walk from HMAAC four blocks away to HMH. Everyone will be invited to reflect on the lives and journeys of those who were finally able to walk as free men and women because of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Once there, participants will watch "The Impact of Racist Ideologies: Jim Crow and the Nuremberg Laws," which examines the parallels between the Jim Crow Laws in the United States and the Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany.

The evening will come to a solemn close with call-and-response readings by Holocaust survivors, Spoken Word Poets and students of WALLIP Academy.

Admission to the event is free, but advance registration is required due to limited seating. To register, go to www.hmh.org/registerevent.aspx.

HMAAC is located at 4806 Caroline St., Houston. The HMH's Albert and Ethel Herzstein Theater is located at 5401 Caroline St., Houston.