ABOUT TULSA JUNETEENTH

Tulsa Juneteenth Inc., founded in 2013 by Tulsa advocates Vanessa Hall-Harper and Sherry Gamble Smith, is a nonprofit organization rooted in the celebration of African American freedom, culture, and Tulsa's community strength. Originally established to honor emancipation through education and the arts, Tulsa Juneteenth has grown into a transformative platform that connects, uplifts, and empowers people across the city and beyond.

Through five main pillars—Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Technology & Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, and Visual Arts—Tulsa Juneteenth brings together diverse programming that fosters cultural enrichment, economic empowerment, and holistic wellness. Drawing in over 50,000 attendees annually, the Tulsa Juneteenth Festival is supported by a broad network of community partners, businesses, sponsors, and volunteers who work together to create an inclusive, high-energy celebration. This vibrant event embodies the resilience, creativity, and unity of Tulsa, celebrating not just history but the ongoing journey toward freedom and progress.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD MEMBERS

BOARD MEMBERS

Robyn Boone
Founder/CEO - GetAmazinglyFit LLC

Lauren Corbitt - Evans
Executive Director

Kelsey Davis
Senior Director of Communications - Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Vanessa Hall - Harper
District 1 Tulsa City Councilor

Natalie Sims
Chief Executive Office -Native Creative

Miesha Smith
Senior Vice President Commercial Loan Officer -  Prosperity Bank

JUNETEENTH & OUR MISSION

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House two months earlier in Virginia, but slavery had remained relatively unaffected in Texas—until U.S. General Gordon Granger stood on Texas soil and read General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”