Deemed as America’s “second Independence Day”, Juneteenth is celebrated every year on June 19th. Combining the words “June” and “Nineteenth”, the holiday commemorates a timeless victory, the emancipation of slaves. In honor of Juneteenth, the Academy is thrilled to host two separate events on June 18, 2022, that are free to the public.
“We are proud to be a venue commemorating this holiday through cultural performances and art while gathering together in harmony and solidarity,” states Academy Chief of Programming, Michelline Hall.
Firstly, from 5 PM to 6:30 PM, join the Academy for Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration in partnership with The Juneteenth Coalition of Central Virginia, Inc.
“Juneteenth’s mission is to bring all Americans together to celebrate our common bond of freedom through the recognition, observance, education, and historic preservation of facts and truth,” says Juneteenth Coalition Chair, Phyllistine Mosley. “The celebration serves as an opportunity to encourage and perpetuate cultural awareness of our ancestors.”
This event will be held in our Historic Academy Theatre and will be a true celebration of the history of Juneteenth. Featuring local performances of live music, spoken word, dance by Kuumba Dance Ensemble, and more, the festivities will also recognize Black Businesses and Organization Scholarship Recipients.
“We have a drum call and libation to ask permission of our ancestors to have the event,” says Phyllistine. “We read the Emancipation Proclamation to hear the words about freedom from President Lincoln that all persons held as slaves within the rebellion state are, and henceforward shall be free.”
There are so many ways that members of our community can get involved with Juneteenth, one of them being through The Juneteenth Coalition. “The Juneteenth Coalition meets annually to plan the Juneteenth celebration and support community events. We participate in festivals and provide scholarships to high school students,” Phyllistine continues.
She states, “We encourage people to support Black business, donate and visit the Legacy Museum of African American History, Ann Spencer Gardens, support and volunteer at the youth groups in the city.”
Individuals and groups can join The Coalition to help plan for the 2023 Juneteenth event by calling 434-841-2926 or emailing: [email protected]!
Directly following this event is another free community celebration, a film screening of Summertime (2021)* at 7:30 PM in the Historic Academy Theatre, presented and hosted by Academy Artist in Residence, Nick George the Poet!
As a part of our Artist in Residence program and Juneteenth Celebration, Nick George the Poet presents a screening of Summertime. Highlighting social-emotional learning, entertainment, and education, the evening will feature writing-based discussion activities directly before and following the film.
“If Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, this film captures a pretty awesome perspective of some creative freedom,” says Nick George. “While it does feature a multiethnic cast and a diverse array of poetic perspectives, I love that it shines a light on so many different voices.”
Summertime focuses on the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, where the lives of 25 young Angelenos intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver — they all weave in and out of each other’s stories.
Through poetry, they express life, love, heartache, family, home, and fear. One of them just wants to find someplace that still serves good cheeseburgers. Highlighting social-emotional learning, entertainment, and education, the evening will feature writing-based discussion activities directly before and following the film.
“For our local Lynchburg community, Juneteenth is a time of rejoicing, reflection, and creative expression birthed from the African American community – which has an extensive and rich history here in our area,” says Michelline. “By observing this holiday, we celebrate as a collective community the American values of liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness for all.”
Reserve your free tickets today to be a part of the Juneteenth celebration on June 18, 2022!
