Corpus Christi hosted a 10 day celebration of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the freeing of Black slaves in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865,
On Saturday, a few hundred people gathered at Water’s Edge Park and spilled onto surrounding beaches for a festival celebrating the holiday and Black Culture.
The event hosted health clinics, nonprofits, live music, food and other vendors.
“Here in Corpus Christi, there's not a large population of my people, (Black) people.
(I'm) teaching them what Juneteenth is about and allowing them to be around the culture where they can see there's more of them actually in our city,” said Lazrik Pettis, a father attending the festival with his children.
Pettis said many of his childhood friends migrated from the city citing the dwindling Black community.
"If the cycle keeps happening like that there's never going to be a good population of Blacks here," he said.
"I would say for them (his kids) to take that challenge and stay here, if it's their calling – Make a difference here."
The final event, held Sunday, June 19, in Hillcrest, a historic African-American and Hispanic neighborhood, also fell on Father's Day.
Families gathered at the freshly mowed H.J. Williams Memorial Park for free barbecue, music and games.
Former Hillcrest resident Alfred Bradley, of Corpus Christi, watched Juneteenth for the Crest Family Fun Day from under the shade of a popup canopy.