AUSTIN, Texas —
On Wednesday, Central Texans are invited to the Montopolis neighborhood in southeast Austin to learn about history.
The group Montopolis Proud is hosting an open house at the Montopolis Negro School and a Juneteenth Celebration at the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center.
The celebration will have educational aspects for people to learn about the southeast part of Austin.
The open house will be from 8:30 a.m. until 10 a.m., with tours and exhibits showcasing the history of the one-room former schoolhouse.
The school is the last remaining Black-only school from the segregation era in Travis County. It's now a historic landmark with history dating back more than eight decades.
There is work being done to preserve it and the open house is a chance to show that off.
"It's very important that we keep that history going, pass that baton and educate the rest of our youth, and we got to keep going on. I'm Montopolis proud and I'm proud of that. We're proud of our heritage," Carol Mae Williams with Montopolis Proud said.
From 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the community center, there will be free food, entertainment and educational tables, teaching a history organizers say is crucial to pass down.
"Texas was the last person, last state that when formed us and was that we were free people. That's enough to celebrate. It ain't just about the blacks. It's about all of us. Everybody is helping us celebrate causes something to celebrate our freedom. So this is Freedom Day for us," Williams said.
One of the tables will be titled “Re-Claim stands for Revolving Evolution Of Culture-loving African-Americans In Motion."
It's are a nonprofit that focuses on cultural arts programming, where it shares the history and African heritage at different events through music and other cultural outlets.
"To remember that history, remember that heritage, remember the sacrifices that were made, and remember and think about the importance of that path that was walked by those ancestors, and let that inspire what we are doing here today," said Imani Aanu, cofounder and executive director of Re-Claim.
While the organization operates at different events year-round, the co-founder says it wants to be on a bigger scale of visibility today for Juneteenth to reclaim the African American presence in this community.