Juneteenth marks the day June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers landed at Galveston and reported that the Civil War was over and slavery had ended, a release from the city said. The Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves had been in effect since Jan. 1, 1863, but word did not reach Texas for more than two years. Juneteenth was declared an official state holiday in Texas in 1980.
The Georgetown event's first panel at 10:30 a.m. will consist of a discussion on education with Paula Simmons, vice principal at Westview Middle School, as well as Georgetown ISD parents Mike Sedwick and Alexandria Clark. The panel will be moderated by Alicia Moore, Southwestern University Education Department chair.
A second panel discussion on social services will begin at noon and feature Ginna O’Connor, The Caring Place executive director; Rhonda Franklin-Romar of the Salvation Army; and Kelly St. Julien from The Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown. The panel will be moderated by Suzy Pukys, Georgetown Health Foundation vice president of strategic philanthropy.
To participate in the event, visit https://bit.ly/2XKPmRB.
