UCLA is hosting its first-ever arts-centric Juneteenth Day campus celebration on Wednesday night.
Presented by the university’s African American Studies Department, the “Prelude to Juneteenth Day Celebration: A Multimedia Event” starts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5 inside Royce Hall.
The event promises to “ignite spirits” and inspire reflection on the journey towards freedom and equality, through the universal language of art, organizers said. Through music, dance, spoken word and other mediums, speakers and performers will engage audiences to commemorate Juneteenth, which celebrates the official end of slavery in the U.S.
Juneteenth — which honors African American pride, freedom, and is typically celebrated on June 19 — has been recognized annually since the late 1800s. It was declared a federal holiday in 2021 by President Joe Biden.
The event will include a world premiere of two works — “Symphony No. 4,” also known as the “Juneteenth Symphony,” by Earl Louis Stewart and “Sundiata Keita Overture” by UCLA professor and event producer Cheryl Keyes — and performances featuring professional artists such as violinist Karen Briggs, and alumnus dancer Bernard Brown. The night will also include vocal soloists, choral performances from spirituals to gospel music, West African dance ensemble, spoken word, smaller instrumental combos and an orchestra with guest conductor Antoine T. Clark. The student African American Music Ensemble will be led by director Diane White-Clayton at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Organizers say the program is organized into four parts: pre-transatlantic slavery in a salute to West African Empires, transatlantic slave trade and Black life in 1619, enslavement to freedom and aspects of contemporary Black life in the U.S.
This event was funded in part by the Chancellor’s Arts Initiative and the Mellon Foundation, with support from the Bunche Center for African American Studies and the office of the Dean of Social Sciences.
Admission is free for all. Tickets can be reserved online or at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. Royce Hall is at 10745 Dickson Ct. in Los Angeles.
Related links
Juneteenth: Not a commercial holiday, but a celebration of Black freedom
With $2 million donation, National Juneteenth Museum inches toward fundraising goal
Reparations task force gives recommendations on how California can atone for slavery
Celebrating Juneteenth looks back on previous challenges and victories, the fight ahead
New Juneteenth national holiday celebrated in Riverside with inaugural event
