Dallas is stepping into the future by embracing its past with the recent launch of the Freedom Trail App: Deep Ellum AR, an augmented reality application designed to highlight the city’s historically rich neighborhood. The City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture unveiled the app Thursday morning at the Deep Ellum Community Center, where city officials, cultural leaders, and historians gathered to promote this blend of technology and education.

According to the City of Dallas news bulletin, the Freedom Trail App aims to teach users about the history of black culture in Dallas, with a special focus on the Deep Ellum area. The app covers critical historical moments from the 1860s to the present day, all through the lens of an AR experience. It notably provides slavery insights into slavery, the importance of Juneteenth, and how these events have shaped contemporary Dallas.

Part of the City of Dallas’s wider initiative on racial equity, the app is a component of the Racial Equity Plan and the 2018 Dallas Cultural Plan, both of which aim to tackle racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities within Dallas, the app is a practical tool for education, fostering understanding in a city that's continuously aiming to come to terms with its diverse and checkered past. Ready for iPhones and Androids alike, the Freedom Trail App can be easily accessed and downloaded from the App Store and Google Play store at no charge to the user.

Media were provided opportunities to get more insight into the app, with invitations extended for interviews and additional footage at the launch event. Further details and scheduling can be found at the RSVP link provided by the City of Dallas.