Creator of Juneteenth mural in Galveston hopes to bring unique Juneteenth mural to Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the Juneteenth Parade and Festival approaches this weekend and next week’s holiday, we’re also learning about an exciting new effort to create a visual celebration of this historic event for equality.

You simply can’t miss the eye-catching mural on the wall of a building in downtown Galveston.

NBC Nightly News and our Houston, Texas sister station, KHOU-TV, covered the event in 2021, when the Juneteenth Legacy Project dedicated the mural created by artist Reginald C. Adams and his team.

“We were able to bring this mural to life in about 27 days,” Adams said. “We moved approximately 325 gallons of paint and approximately 1,300 hours of labor were required to bring this 5,000 square foot mural to life.”

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The images depict the signing of a military order at this actual location on June 19, 1865, which is now officially the Juneteenth holiday. That’s when a Civil War Union general and his black Union troops enforced President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves and ensure equality.

The idea, featured on the Absolute Equality website for Juneteenth-themed murals, spread to other cities across the country under Adams’ leadership.

“We have an opportunity in every city to tell the story of Juneteenth through a very localized perspective, so we focus on individuals who have been at the forefront of freedom and community empowerment African-American,” Adams said. . “And so every mural is different, every mural is unique. The historical people and places and events have kind of marked this moment for this city, and that’s what you’ll see.”

In 2025, Buffalo is on the list for creating our own Juneteenth mural using elements of Buffalo’s ties to racial equality efforts. They range from the Underground Railroad to the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor and much more.

LeRoi Johnson, also known as the brother of the late musician Rick James, is involved, according to Adams.

“He’s a phenomenal artist and advocate. He’s really helped spark interest in the Buffalo community,” Adams said.

Adams emphasized, “There’s just a lot to do logistically to find the right partner, find the right walls and find the right artists, and of course, find financial resources to produce the mural.”

But he is quick to add: “The seed has been planted, and I’m pretty confident, given the attention and the people around the table, that we will see a mural of absolute equality in Buffalo in 2025.”

You can read more about this story and other Juneteenth events in Buffalo on the Community Program, airing on WGRZ, Channel 2, at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 13.