Thursday morning rears a bright and warm beginning to the 27th annual Austin Central Texas Juneteenth parade. Music hits the streets as a unified white linen band trickles down East Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Immediately, a chorus line of feet stomping and laughter filters the air. The city has carved a safe space. Corporate commercialization can often overshadow the depth of holidays, but Austin’s Juneteenth has continued to fashion itself with pride, joy, and history. With the resounding legacy attached, the honor is only fitting.

Photographed by Tenny Rudolph

The families that found a prime spot before the 10 a.m. rush break out their red, green, and black flags, showering their faces with quick-whip breezes. The whispers from mothers to children of what Juneteenth means bounce between drum beats. While the Emancipation Proclamation declared enslaved people in the Confederate territory free, a militarized effort was needed to enforce the Confederacy’s cooperation—a conundrum leaving Black army men at the forefront of a meant-to-lose war. But through grit, gumption, and style, the 2,000 soldiers who marched through Galveston, Texas, reclaimed the lives of 250,000 enslaved people and pronounced them free, thus forever marking that day as Juneteenth.

Photographed by Tenny Rudolph

While the history of Juneteenth starts with Texas, the fight for identity and reclamation is prevalent nationally and globally. The dichotomy of torn-apart families and the gathering of loved ones today serves as a stark reminder of using joy as a means of revolution. The expression of visibility is a symbol of unity. One parade goer, Thomas Edge, spotted in a ginger- hued twist-out and a debonaire masc trans representation t-shirt, shared their thoughts on participation. “I’m from a small town,” Edge shared. “The population is 80% Black. Moving to Austin, where the Black population is below 10%, you feel it everywhere you go. It’s nice to have a time when it’s not just locally but nationally, where they are celebrating Blackness. And you get to see all types of Blackness being celebrated.”

Photographed by Tenny Rudolph

Photographed by Tenny Rudolph

From the smiling glee of aunties to the modern cowboys saddled on mahogany horses, the essence of freedom shapeshifts through each being. Juneteenth heralds the sacrifice and love required to be the whole entirety encompassed today.

Photographed by Tenny Rudolph