PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Juneteenth began in Galveston, Texas, as a way to commemorate the day (June 19, 1865) when Federal troops took control of the state of Texas, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law in 1863. Texas was the last remaining Confederate state to ignore the new law which freed enslaved African-Americans.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 and it will be officially celebrated this year on Monday, June 20 with government offices closed.
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Here are some celebrations throughout South Florida to mark Juneteenth.
IN MIAMI BEACH
- Third Annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration at the Rainbow Eucalyptus tree from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 18 at Pride Park, 1809 Meridian Ave. Speakers include Miami Beach Commissioner David Richardson and keynote speaker Florida International University Professor and Vice Provost Heather Russell. A professor of literature and vice provost for faculty leadership and success in the Office of the Provost, Russell specializes in African Diaspora, African American and Afro Caribbean literature and theory. She is the author of “Legba’s Crossing: Narratology in The African Atlantic.” Music performances by jazz singer Carole Ann Taylor, Melton Mustafa, Jr., and Jim Gasior from The New World School of the Arts (NWSA) Jazz Combo. He will be joined by students of NWSA High School Jazz and Instrumental Studies in his performance. The event will be livestreamed on the city’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cityofmiamibeach.
- Juneteenth Food & Wine Festival Presents Beachside Cookout Village & Concert Hosted by Celebrity Chef Carla Hill & Chef Cecil G. from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 at Lummus Park, 1130 Ocean Drive featuring celebrity performer Ronnie VOP with help from the Hardemon Project. This soulful seaside foodie village is comprised of African American cuisine from all over the United States. The event features Creole, Cajun, barbecue, soul food and even Caribbean and African foods as well as vegan dishes. Entry to this event is free. Food and drinks are available for purchase onsite. For information, visit www.jtfwf.com.
- The Juneteenth Experience, a free, multidisciplinary celebration of Juneteenth on Sunday, June 19 at the North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Presented by Hued Songs, The Juneteenth Experience is a multidisciplinary, immersive performance honoring America’s second Independence Day. The performance will be presented free of charge at the North Beach Bandshell as well as via a digital livestream. Reserve a ticket on Eventbrite.
- Lift Up Your Voice and Sing! The Miami Beach Classical Music Festival with the support of the Ocean Drive Association, City of Miami Beach and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau will present an evening of poetry, music and dance on Sunday, June 19 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Lummus Park on Ocean Drive between 14 Street and 14 Place. Vocalists will present selections from the Great American Songbook selected by Miami Beach Classical Music Festival Director Michael Rossi. The Peter London Global Dance Company, poet Geoffrey Philp and musician Gregory LeDon (aka The Saxophone Guy) will perform at the event.
- Live Jazz at The Betsy Hotel will feature award-winning vocalist LeNard Rutledge from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. with pianist Jim Gasior performing from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 19. Patrons are also invited to visit The Betsy Poetry Rail located in the breezeway adjacent to the hotel (between Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue) to read “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. It has been called one of the most influential poems of the 20th century with 11 lines that provide profound reference to the African American experience and to the meaning of Juneteenth, a celebration of our nation’s most infamous deferred dream, the long prayed for abolishment of slavery. Events are free and open to the public. The Betsy Hotel is located at 1440 Ocean Drive.
IN MIAMI
- Fantasy Theatre Factory at the Sandrell Rivers Theater’s Juneteenth celebration is centered around liberation. Local community leaders will lead workshops presented throughout the conference, emphasizing financial, creative, social, mental and physical freedom. Programming will start at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 18. Sandrell Rivers Theater is located at 6103 NW 7th Ave., Miami.
- An interactive art project meant to tell unfamiliar stories of individuals and sites significant to Miami’s hidden Black history is the Miami Museum of Contemporary Art of African Diaspora’s (Miami MoCAAD) and Hampton Art Lovers’ celebration of Juneteenth. “Veo Veo, I See I See, Mwen wè Mwen wè” features a site-specific mural created by Anthony Reed II, who is artistically known as Mojo. His work will be at the late Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, located at 1021 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami. Thomas was Miami-Dade County’s first Black Judge. On Friday, June 17, doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the event that starts at the Ward Rooming House, 249 NW 9th St., Miami. At 6 p.m., MoCAAD continues its Creative Conversation series discussing the mural and oral history project, which celebrates Black Miami history. At 7:30 p.m., attendees will be among the first to experience “Veo Veo, I See I See, Mwen wè Mwen wè” at the Courthouse Center, 1021 NW 2nd Ave., Miami.
IN BROWARD
- Black Theatre Fringe Festival of South Florida. The four-day festival takes place from June 16-19 at the Liberia Sankofa Cultural Center at New Jerusalem, 2254 Douglas St. in Hollywood as well as the Florida Children’s Theatre at Broward College Fine Arts Theater, 3501 Davie Road, in Davie, Building #5. $10 to $85. Info at BTFFSF.eventbrite.com.
- South Florida Chamber Ensemble. Tribute to African American classical music composers. 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 17 at the Hallandale Beach Branch, 300 S. Federal Highway, Hallandale.