Juneteenth marks the date in 1865 that Union soldiers reached Galveston, TX and indicated that slavery had been abolished. Slaves immediately began to celebrate. While the original celebration included spiritual gatherings and prayers, the event has grown to take on vast and wide traditions including religious services, educational programming, festivals, and other huge celebrations. To shed a spotlight on this event, I decided to highlight historically Black spaces in Houston, TX, many of them created by former slaves that navigated to what have become the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Wards at the heart of the city.
At each space highlighted in the scavenger hunt, I left malachite jewelry for my following to find. Malachite is a protection stone that is also used to move through past traumas and helps the wearer to step out of their comfort zone. It’s beautiful emerald tones look gorgeous on any skin tone, which makes it the perfect piece for anyone to have in their collection. Join me for a recap of the beautiful spaces I was able to leave jewelry during the week-long scavenger hunt I hosted.
The final two pieces of jewelry will be hidden at some of Houston's Juneteenth celebration spaces being hosted across the city. I hope that this encourages individuals to #shopblack and support Black-owned businesses throughout the week. A summary of potential events some WOTM surprises can be found in the slideshow on this page. Wishing everyone the happiest of Juneteenth celebrations!
Click photos to learn more about each space and be sure to follow my full Juneteenth journey on Instagram   or TikTok.
- Shannen Garza Hakim, Owner of Womxn on the Moon