The city of Albany held its first Juneteenth celebration in 2005, thanks to the efforts of a former elementary school teacher.

Joe Cavazos is a former elementary teacher who spent time in Texas and returned there after graduating from SUNY New Paltz. Cavazos taught his students about the holiday. When he moved to Albany in March 2004 for work, he knew he wanted to bring awareness of the holiday but didn’t have enough time to plan out an event. He was able to get the city to issue a proclamation.  

Cavazos was able to bring the first Juneteenth celebration to the city the following year. It was held at the Arbor Hill Community Center with no budget. Cavazos brought hot dogs, chips and drinks. People in the community helped. Even though there were limited resources, it was fun, Cavazos said.

It grew each year, and was eventually passed over to the special events office for the city of Albany.