On Sunday, June 19, as the US celebrated the national Juneteenth holiday for the second time, officials in Fort Worth, Texas revealed plans for a National Juneteenth museum. Juneteenth has been a holiday in Fort Worth since 1980.

The building was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a Danish architecture firm, and is estimated to cost around $70m. Work on the 50,000 sq. ft timber structure is scheduled to start before the end of the year and be completed in time for an opening around Juneteenth 2024.

The building will house spaces for exhibitions, educational programmes, a recording studio for visitors to record their stories, a business incubator supporting Black entrepreneurs, a food hall and a theatre for larger events.

Opal Less, also known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” is a 95-year-old activist, educator and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize nominee from Fort Worth, who helped to make this project a reality.

For almost two decades, Lee operated a small and primarily Texas-focused Juneteenth museum in the Southside of Fort Worth. Lee’s granddaughter, Dione Sims, will be the founding executive director for the new museum.

“To have lived long enough to see my walking and talking make an impact is one thing, but to know what a-state-of-the-art museum that will house the actual pen that President Biden used to sign the bill, and many other exhibits, is coming to pass as well - I could do my holy dance again,” said Lee.

The museum hopes to offer free admission once open.

Image from The Art Newspaper