The Old Central Cultural Center will present “The Champion and The Empress” on Thursday, February 19, 2026
at 6:30 P.M.
This free public event features a full Chautauqua performance, with heavyweight champion Jack Johnson and blues legend Bessie Smith portrayed fully in character for the entire program. The evening includes dramatic interpretation, storytelling, and live blues performance, offering strong visuals for broadcast.
The portrayals will be presented by nationally recognized Chautauqua artists Dr. James Armstead and Rebecca Marks Jimerson.
This performance also marks the official launch of Old Central’s year‑round Juneteenth Legacy Series, a new initiative dedicated to preserving and sharing African American history, culture, and education at the historic Old Central Cultural Center.
The program will be held at Old Central, 2627 Avenue M in Galveston — the site of Texas’s first African American high school and a cornerstone of Gulf Coast heritage.
