To commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States, Charlottesville’s Juneteenth Celebration kicks off with an early-morning parade followed by a welcome address that includes the Negro National Anthem. The afternoon features an Emancipation Concert with the soulful sounds of singer Ezra Hamilton and the trumpet-heavy tunes of the Ellis Williams Band, plus performances […]
To commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States, Charlottesville’s Juneteenth Celebration kicks off with an early-morning parade followed by a welcome address that includes the Negro National Anthem. The afternoon features an Emancipation Concert with the soulful sounds of singer Ezra Hamilton and the trumpet-heavy tunes of the Ellis Williams Band, plus performances […]
Art felt: This is the first year Virginia has officially recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center continues its tradition of commemorating the event with art, food, and music emceed by Ike Anderson. Tobiah Mundt and Lisa Woolfork of Black Women Stitch will lead a creative “non-sewing sewing” session; […]
“Nearly every colored man, woman and child in Richmond, and the surrounding territory, took part in or viewed the big emancipation parade yesterday,” reads an article published in the April 4, 1905, edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “The crowd was orderly and was the subject of favorable comments from all who saw the line as […]
“Origin stories matter, for individuals, groups of people, and for nations,” writes Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed in her new book, On Juneteenth. “They inform our sense of self; telling us what kind of people we believe we are, what kind of nation we believe we live in.” Gordon-Reed, a Texas native and Harvard Law […]
Cracking down Just days after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back, sparking national outrage and protests, City Manager Tarron Richardson decided to crack down on gatherings in Charlottesville—targeting those organized by Black residents. While Richardson supports the right to “peaceably assemble” amidst the pandemic, he explained in a press […]