Photo Gallery: Jackson family members gather in San Juan following Underground Railroad designation

SAN JUAN — Just days before the Juneteenth National Independence Day, which commemorates the end of slavery, Roseann Bacha-Garza, an anthropology lecturer at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, hosted descendants of the site’s namesakes where they once risked everything to help slaves escape to freedom.

Family descendants, friends and neighbors gathered Saturday, June 15, at the Jackson Ranch Church where Bacha-Garza shared information about the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad National Network to Freedom program and the fact that the application that they submitted in January was accepted.

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Family descendants, friends and neighbors gather at the Eli Jackson Methodist Church and cemetery in San Juan on Saturday, June 15, 2024. It is located on a ranch once operated by Nathaniel and Matilda Jackson, a biracial couple, believed to have been “conductors” in the Underground Railroad to Mexico. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Family descendants, friends and neighbors gather at the Jackson Ranch Church Saturday, June 15, 2024, in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Dr. Ramiro Ramirez, a descendant of Matilda and Nathaniel Jackson, talks to the family descendants, friends and neighbors at the Jackson Ranch Church on Saturday, June 15, 2024, in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

The National Park Service announced 19 new listings for its Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, which included Jackson Ranch Church and Martin Jackson Cemetery in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Alicia Longoria, a descendant of Nancy Jackson, gathers with relatives and friends on Saturday, June 15, 2024, in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Miguel Tamez, a descendant of Maynard Jackson, carries a flag to place on several headstones at the Jackson Ranch cemetery Saturday, June 15, 2024, in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Family descendants, friends and neighbors gather at the Jackson Ranch Church and cemetery Saturday, June 15, 2024, in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

Pablo and Rosa Villarreal gather with family descendants, friends and neighbors at the Jackson Ranch Church of Saturday, June 15, 2024 in San Juan. Rosa Villarreal is a direct descendant of Maynard Jackson. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

An angel headstone decorated with flowers is seen at the Jackson Ranch Church and cemetery Saturday, June 15, 2024, in San Juan. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com)

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Jackson family members gather in San Juan following Underground Railroad designation

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