Juneteenth

Juneteenth Events

June 1 – 30

Rising from the Rails: The Story of the Pullman Porter 

A 47-minute documentary directed by Brad Osborne and based on Larry Tye’s book,  Rising from the Rails, explores the crucial, often overlooked, role of African American  Pullman porters in American history. It chronicles their journey from serving wealthy,  white passengers during the golden age of rail to becoming pioneers for the Black middle  class and the civil rights movement. 

Shown in the Museum Auditorium every 90 minutes beginning at 11 am daily

The book, Rising from the Rails, by Larry Tye, is available in the museum  store located in the 1932 Union Station Train Depot. 

Author Larry Tye is a renowned American journalist and New York Times bestselling  author known for in-depth biographies and non-fiction works, including Satchel, Bobby  Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon, and Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator  Joe McCarthy.

Exhibit: The Pullman Porters, located in the 1932 Union Station Train Depot  Daily 10 am – 5 pm June 1 – 30 

An exhibit that relates the extraordinary story of human resilience, tenacity, and fortitude that laid the ground for future generations and had a profound impact on the railroad and  American history. 

June 5, 5:30 pm  

Juneteenth: The Galveston Story

Documentary film featuring the stories about Juneteenth as told by descendants of 1865 related by Samuel Colllins III. Co-produced by Sam Addington and Samuel Collins III. Sam Collins will present the 45 minute documentary and speak on the testimonies.

Reception to follow.

June 12, Friday, 3 pm  

The Cultural Evolution of African American Food Culture

Galvestonian and author Anthony P. Griffin will speak on the anthropology of African  American food culture in the museum auditorium and will share his recipes from the book  that will be on the menu for the Harvey House Dinner. Hearty flavors and ethnic accents  are the inspiration for outstanding meals.

June 13, Saturday, 6:30 pm  

Harvey House Dinner & Train Ride  

All Aboard for a celebration of the evolution of Soul Food coupled with the legend of the  Harvey House Diner, once located in the 1932 Train Depot.

Recipes from A Taste of the Gulf Coast: The Art & Soul of Southern Cooking by Jessie  Tirsch, pay homage to down-home cooking and offer flair to the evening’s menu including  those of Galvestonian and author Anthony Griffin.

The all-inclusive evening aboard the Morris Spencer Gould, Sr. dining car includes cordials,  a seated dinner, wine, dessert, entertainment and train ride. Reservations are required,  $150 per person, and limited seating is at tables for four. Please respond by June 1 to  reserve your set at www.galvestonRRmuseum.org/Harvey-House-Dinner, or call (409) 765- 5700. Proceeds benefit educational outreach.

June 14, 2 pm 

Speaker and book signing Museum Auditorium 

Anthony Griffin 

The Water Cries, written by Anthony P. Griffin, tells the story of the slave markets in  Galveston. Through extensive research beginning at Galveston’s Rosenberg Library, Griffin  pulls the veil from a well-hidden subject that is very much a part of the history of the island.  

Griffin will talk about his research journey beginning at Galveston’s Rosenberg Library, that led to his documentation and telling of the slave market that is very much a part of the island’s history. 

Galveston, Texas, was a significant hub for both the slave trade and the end of slavery in the  state. As the leading seaport and commercial center of 19th-century Texas, it was a major  entry point for enslaved people entering the state and had the largest slave auction house west  of the Mississippi.

June 19, Friday 3 pm 

Visual and Interactive Presentation by Tara T. Green, Ph.D.

“How Did the Troublemakers Get on the Train?!: African American Women  Activists for Freedom in the Early Twentieth Century” 

Before planes, travel by train was the fastest and safest route to another part of the country.  For some, travel was a luxurious experience. For others, it could be demeaning. During the  late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries, Black women activists traveled by train  to advocate for equality by giving talks, attending conventions, and/or participating in  protests. Their activism may have been practiced on the train or after the train ride. Who were  these women? And what were some of their experiences? Why are these experiences  important in American history? Dr. Tara T. Green will provide insight during her visual and  interactive presentation. 

Founding Department Chair, CLASS Distinguished Professor of African American Studies and English at the University of Houston, Tara Green teaches Black Women’s studies,  leadership, and literature at the University of Houston. An award-winning author of four books  and the editor of two, she collaborates with libraries and community members to preserve the  stories of Black lives in America. Her most recent work is the award-winning  Love, Activism and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar- Nelson (Bloomsbury 2022) and See  Me Naked: Black Women Defining Pleasure during the Interwar Era (Rutgers 2022).