From Galveston to the Fillmore: The man who brought Juneteenth to SF

Flashback: Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas, where Juneteenth celebrations began in 1865 when the last enslaved people in Texas learned about their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation.

• He moved to the city with his family as a teenager after World War I.
• After graduating from San Francisco State College (now SFSU), where he started one of the first student organizations for African Americans, he became a successful entrepreneur on the commercial corridor of the Fillmore, then known as the "Harlem of the West."

Between the lines: Johnson, who ran the thriving jazz club Texas Playhouse and was later nicknamed the godfather of Juneteenth in San Francisco, wanted to put the city on the map as a hub for Black culture, freedom and community.

• Annual Juneteenth parades, which he led as grand marshal until the late 1980s, reflected that spirit and paid homage to their community's resilience.

What they're saying: "Everybody came with this allure and this air of excellence and pride — and he would not have it any other way," Melina Jones, who has served on the committee for SF's Juneteenth parade and festival, said in a 2024 look back at Johnson's legacy for SFSU.

The big picture: Even though the city's 1960s redevelopment of the Fillmore decimated the Black population, displacing over 4,700 households and shuttering 883 businesses, the festivities continue today.

• And every year, many don white cowboy hats as they march down the streets — just as Johnson once did.

Go deeper: How to celebrate Juneteenth in the Bay Area