Juneteenth Committee Announces Festivities

The Fayette County Juneteenth Committee is excited to announce their 2022 program celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15, 2022.

“Our theme is ‘Unity in the Community,’” Juneteenth Committee Chair Johnathan Ellis explained. “Dr. King believed that whatever affects one of us directly affects all of us in some form or fashion. Only through harmony can our society thrive.”

Everyone is invited to participate as a demonstration of support towards this goal. We will gather on the square at the Fayette County Courthouse between 11 a.m. and noon. At noon, the group will walk to the Fayette Public Library located at 855 S. Jefferson in La Grange. At 1 p.m., the formal dedication of Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Parkway, running through the La Grange city limits, will occur.

The festivities will then move across the street to the Historic Nathaniel Faison House at 822 S. Jefferson to pay tribute to its African American history. Nathaniel Faison supported African Americans after emancipation, donating land for a school, cemetery, and church. Additionally, he loaned freedmen money to move forward after slavery. Before his death, he gave the house to his mulatto housekeeper, Louisiana Brown. Brown, who later went by the last name of Faison, was an astute businesswoman. She remained popular with both whites and African Americans until she died in 1909. A film about her life will be shown.

The Juneteenth Committee meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Randolph Recreation Center. All community members are welcome to participate.

For more information, email info@juneteenthtexas.org.