National Juneteenth Museum announces major project advancements in infrastructure and demolition
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Saturday, February 25th, 2023, on the heels of Black History Month, the National Juneteenth Museum introduces Lauren Cross, Ph.D. as Executive Strategist.
As a 2022 recipient of the North Texas Community Foundation’s Fund to Advance Racial Equity (FARE) grant, the National Juneteenth Museum was able to hire a museum strategist to consult and develop the museum’s curatorial plan, laying the foundation for the museum’s programming and organization.
As a native Texan and descendent of enslaved people, Dr. Cross is applying her depth of knowledge on the impact of the Juneteenth story paired with her professional experience as a curator, museum scholar and educator to advance Lee’s vision. The National Juneteenth Museum is more than a museum — it will be the epicenter for the preservation of Juneteenth history and a destination to foster conversations on the global significance of freedom and the celebration of Juneteenth worldwide.
Dr. Cross stated, “I’m excited to develop and consult on a plan to inspire, empower and really tell the story of Juneteenth and why it matters [to] the world… we are building an epicenter for the story of Juneteenth and its impact globally.”
Dr. Lauren Cross, left, Executive Strategist for the National Juneteenth Museum, stands next to Ms. Opal Lee “Grandmother of Juneteenth”.
The national call for artifacts was launched by Dr. Cross, “we are pulling upon the nation, to think about the cultural artifacts that you may have in your closet [and] that you may have from your family history, that can help and aid us in telling the Juneteenth story.”
During Saturday’s press announcement Dione Sims, Legacy Board Member of the National Juneteenth Museum and granddaughter of Ms. Opal Lee, announced that plans are underway for building site demolition where Lee’s Juneteenth Museum currently stands. “Which means we are getting started on bringing the National Juneteenth Museum vision to fruition,” said Sims.
The museum promises to revitalize the Historic Southside neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas, which was once a thriving African American community deemed the “Black Wall Street of the South”. The 50,000 square foot building will house the museum, a theater, flexible black box space for traveling exhibits, a food hall and business incubator.
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