SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK And Laudable Productions Present JUNETEENTH 2020: A Day Of Remembrance

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK and Laudable Productions present a virtual concert and conversation on Friday, June 19th at 8pm in honor of Juneteenth 2020. The event will pay homage to this day in 1865 when news of emancipation reached the last group of enslaved Black people in Galveston, TX - two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, making slavery illegal.

The performance will be broadcast live from the historic stage at The Lincoln Theater in Washington, DC to an empty hall with no physical audience. Special guests include Bryan Stevenson, Danny Glover, Gina Belafonte, Sonia Sanchez, Christian McBride, Aloe Blacc, William Barber III, Kiki Shepard, Jenifer Lewis, Jordan Waré, and Sophia Dawson.

In spite of COVID-19 and continued systemic racial oppression, we stand together as a global community, in spirit and in song, even while apart. Through music, poem, and discussion, we will reflect on our nation's turbulent racial past and present, while uplifting the dignity and wellbeing of all people. As Toni Morrison so eloquently expressed, "this is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak; we write; we do language. That is how civilizations heal."

Attendees can purchase a ticket and sit in the "front row" of the interactive audience via Zoom video conference. Video participants will be seen by the performers and fellow attendees and will be invited to clap (ASL style), sing along, share some love, and add their voices to the discussion. Tickets are limited and net proceeds will benefit the crucial work of the Equal Justice Initiative.

The public can also watch the performance for free on Facebook Live, YouTube, and on Sweet Honey's website. For tickets and more information please visit www.sweethoneyintherock.org/juneteenth.

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