Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) will celebrate Juneteenth with “Music through the Ages” on Thursday, June 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Donnie Nero will serve as the emcee for several educational presentations and musical performances representing Oklahoma’s unique African American roots.

Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Harold Aldridge will perform 19th-century calls and early blues while giving background information on their origins.

Walter Taylor’s Blu Fonk band will play mid-20th-century blues and swing.

Jabee Williams will round out the music with a more contemporary rap mix.

Other performers will include Evelyn Morgan, Delta Sigma Theta and the Brothers of Stomp from Beta Omicron Sigma.

This annual event is sponsored by the OHS’s Multicultural Office and Black Heritage Committee.

Juneteenth is the celebration of emancipation following the US Civil War and commemorates the day when US Army General Gordon Granger proclaimed the end of slavery in Texas at Galveston on June 19, 1865.

This news and celebration spread to the enslaved people of Indian Territory throughout that summer.

The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums.

Mission of OHS is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people.

Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state.

Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications, OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma.

For more information about the OHS or Juneteenth, please visit www.okhistory.org or call 405-522-0765.