Events
BY MICHAEL CROUCHLEY
Last year’s Juneteenth Celebration doubled as a grand reopening for the Plano African American Museum, which was shut down for more than a decade before sisters Areail, Dollie and Toni Thomas worked to revive it back in 2023. And after a full year in operation, Dollie Thomas says the Juneteenth Celebration will be “bigger and better” than last year. What’s happening The Juneteenth festivities will begin with a celebration and parade on June 22. The parade will start at Haggard Park and nish at the museum in the Douglass Community, a historically Black neighborhood in downtown Plano, where celebra- tions will continue. The state champion Plano East boys’ basketball team is set to lead the parade, which will also feature a car show, a procession of horses and other community organizations. The museum is also hosting the Plano Urban Music Festival on June 29 in McCall Plaza in downtown Plano. The Thomas’s are hoping to welcome people from across the community at the celebration. “We always say, Juneteenth is about celebrating everybody’s freedom,” Dollie said. “We want everyone in Plano to come together.” How we got here The Plano African American Museum was originally started by Ben Thomas in 2006 before it closed in 2011. The museum stayed vacant until Ben Thomas’ daughters worked for months to refurbish the museum and reopen it last year. Areail, Dollie and Toni, can now be found in rocking chairs on the museum’s front porch. The Thomas’s are natives of the Douglass community, but none of them have any experience working in a museum. Areail has called the rst year of operating a “learn- ing experience.” “It’s taken a lot of stick-to-itiveness to not give up,” she said. And it’s a passion for what the museum provides that has given them that persistence. “We have a story that needs to be told, and it needs to be told in a way where people will listen and not turn away,” Dollie said. “Even if we get down to $0, each of us is going to have to pick a bill Plano Juneteenth celebration to feature parade, music, more
From left, Toni, Dollie and Areail Thomas reopened the Plano African American Museum in 2023.
PHOTOS BY KAREN CHANEY COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Plano African American Museum is located in the Douglass Community in downtown Plano.
to pay, because we will never close again. It’s just that important. That’s how I feel and that’s how I want everyone to feel about it.” Toni added that she’s seen a strong response from the community that she’s hoping will grow as the museum continues to establish itself. “We love this community, we love this city and we’ve been here all our lives,” Toni said. “I think people are slowly starting to trust and appreciate what’s going on here.” Looking ahead The Thomas sisters have big plans for the muse- um’s future, including expansions to the space and programming. “We want to be on everybody’s lips,” Dollie said. “We’re going to be the biggest little museum in North Texas.” The Plano African American Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 1 p.m.-6 p.m., and is free to the public. More information on the current exhibit and a link to donate to the museum can be found on its website.
The museum features exhibits and information on the history of the African American in Plano.
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900 13th St, Plano www.planoafricanamericanmuseum.org
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