Juneteenth across the PACE Community
This Saturday is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States (and now a federal holiday). Because PACE is an organization focused on civic engagement and ways to center racial equity within it, we think it’s important to hold up this day and the many ways PACE Members are showing up for the holiday, as hosts, sponsors, amplifiers, and supporters. Below is a curated list; we will keep this list updated as new things are released.
Events
Listed in chronological order.
OCAAHS & Montpelier Virtual Juneteenth Celebration, June 1–30, 2021. A month-long calendar of events will help guests learn about African American history at Montpelier and throughout Orange County; celebrate Juneteenth by watching and interacting with performers, musicians, historical interpreters, and artists; support local artists and businesses by buying from Juneteenth vendors; and connect with local community groups. PACE Member involved: Montpelier Foundation
On Juneteenth, June 2, 2021. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed tells the sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history and provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth. PACE Members involved: Montpelier Foundation, National Archives Foundation
The Juneteenth Worship Experience: A Story of and Journey to Freedom, June 12, 2021. Highlights include uplifting music, praise, dance, and worship from the local community, including the Freedmen’s Town Mass Choir, the Texas Southern University Debate Team, Se7en the Poet, and a Proclamation by Mayor Turner. PACE Member involved: Houston Endowment
Microsoft Juneteenth Celebration ft. Ms. Opal Lee, June 14, 2021. Explore the historical significance of why Juneteenth is internationally recognized but not so nationally recognized in American History. Experience the essence of why we must continue to pursue it’s acceptance as a national holiday in the History of America. PACE Member involved: Microsoft
Outdoor Afro: Juneteenth 2021, June 18, 2021. Outdoor Afro is inviting participants to contemplate what freedom truly means in America by visiting a nearby park, forest or beach in honor of Juneteenth for 2.5 hours [in honor of the 2.5 years freedom was denied for 250,000 enslaved people in Texas]. Participants are then encouraged to submit written, audio, or video reflections at OutdoorAfro.com/juneteenth2021. PACE Member involved: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The Juneteenth Foundation’s Freedom Festival, June 18–19, 2021. A two-day celebration of virtual and DC-based events that aim to create the platform for the nation to come together to celebrate Juneteenth and host one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in America. PACE Member involved: Obama Foundation
Juneteenth Weekend Celebration, June 18–20, 2021. A three-day event to celebrate Juneteenth and transform Trenton into a central hub for diversity and entertainment, in partnership with the New Jersey Legislative District 15, and the Outdoor Equity Alliance. PACE Member involved: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Sounds of Liberation Juneteenth Celebration, June 19, 2021. MAC’s Juneteenth event will include an interview and music with Composer/Musician Clovice Lewis followed by an authentic African meal, and celebratory dance party with Midnight Sun Massive band and guest West African dancers/drummers. PACE Member involved: California Humanities
Juneteenth Black to Life Celebration!!!, June 19, 2021. Featuring North and West African Dance, Spoken Word, live musical performances, and words of Wisdom and History from Chicago Community Trust CEO Dr. Helene Gayle, former DuSable Museum CEO Dr. Carol Adams, Nigerian Visual Artist Adedayo Laoye, Yoruba Babalawo Ifagbamila Fagunwa and more. PACE Member involved: Chicago Community Trust
Juneteenth Freedom Fest 2021, June 19, 2021. Hosted by the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation and the Black Belt Community Foundation, the inaugural festival will be a day of food, vendors, music, and arts; it will also include a health village, where attendees will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as free health screenings, healthy snacks, preventive care resources. PACE Member involved: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
EXODUS: Reckoning, June 19, 2021. Join The In[HEIR]itance Project online for a virtual performance that reflects the unique and universal story of Cincinnati through ritual, song, and storytelling, as part of Juneteenth Cincinnati. PACE Member involved: Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
We Do This Til We Free Us Block Party, June 19, 2021. This event from the Defund CPD Campaign celebrates and honors Juneteenth by providing resistance training, art making, music, dance, food, community care, & more. PACE Member(s) involved: Woods Fund of Chicago
Coming Together: A Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Center, June 19, 2021. To honor the Juneteenth emancipation holiday, Concerts For Kids presents Coming Together, a joyous celebration of Black culture through music, dance, and poetry. Coming Together explores the importance of family — in all its forms — and how vital connection is to resilience and transformation. PACE Member involved: Rockefeller Brothers Fund
I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me: A Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Center, June 19, 2021. Conceived and curated by the award-winning poet and artist Carl Hancock Rux, this event is an experiential site-specific event celebrating the Juneteenth emancipation holiday. PACE Member involved: Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Connect in Place — Do You Remember? Why We Celebrate Anniversaries and Holidays, June 29, 2021. Memorials, holidays, and anniversaries are opportunities to tell stories about how we relate to what came before, and how that informs what we see as the work ahead. This time of year is full of anniversaries and holidays, including Stonewall, Juneteenth, Fourth of July, and the racial justice uprisings of last summer. What does it mean to commemorate, and why do we do it? PACE Member involved: Oregon Humanities
Reflections/Statements
- There’s a Crack in the Foundation, Najma Roberts, Democracy Fund
- A Moment of Reckoning, Debra Humphreys, Lumina Foundation
- Liberation Isn’t a Date, It’s a Destiny, Michelle J. DePass, Meyer Memorial Trust
- Reflecting on Black and African American opportunity during Juneteenth, Rodney Clark, Microsoft
Social Media Posts
- Andrew Goodman Foundation
- Allan Golstone, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Melinda French Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- California Humanities
- Jean Case, Case Foundation
- Case Foundation
- Helene Gayle, Chicago Community Trust
- Ford Foundation (also here)
- Darren Walker, Ford Foundation
- Interactivity Foundation
- John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
- Joyce Foundation
- Lumina Foundation
- Montpelier Foundation
- National Archives Foundation
- New Economy Initiative
- Robert R. McCormick Foundation
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to reflect new statements and events.
