Honor Juneteenth—the annual holiday commemorating the end of legal slavery in the United States—and support the ongoing movement for Black lives and liberation. Come together on the Museum steps to hear music and remarks by local community leaders before Good Company Bike Club kicks off their Freedom Ride, a daylong tour of historic Brooklyn locations and landmarks relevant to the Black community, including stops at Black-owned restaurants to rest and replenish. In the evening, enjoy live music, food provided by Black Chef Movement, and mindfulness at sunset with Meditating for Black Lives, who use the principles and practices of various meditation traditions to support community efforts to heal oppression. All day long, stop by to share what honoring Juneteenth means to you and participate in community portraits by Brooklyn photography collective Souls in Focus.

This event is free and takes place outdoors. Please reserve tickets in advance to visit the galleries. We’re following procedures and guidelines laid out by the CDC and local health officials, including practicing social distancing for all activities. Masks are required for all adults and children over the age of 2. Indoor restrooms will be available.

Juneteenth refers to June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger read out federal orders declaring that all people previously enslaved in Texas were free. Through grassroots efforts, Black people in Texas reclaimed June 19 from a day of unheeded military orders as the first celebration of “Juneteenth” a year later in 1866, and it continues as a celebration for Black liberation across the country. To learn more, see Henry Louis Gates, Jr., “What Is Juneteenth?”