Karamu’s 'Juneteenth' is a winner!

50,000 viewers see Karamu artists channel black sentiment in response to public health crises of race and COVID

Mariama Whyte, center, sings with cast members in an opening scene in Karamu House's "Freedom on Juneteenth."

By R. T. Andrews

I’m not a theater critic. This is not a review. But it is a hearty and unqualified recommendation of Karamu’s tight, professional, educational and emotionally thrilling production of Freedom on Juneteenth that debuted last Friday across a variety of platforms.

The sixty minute production, brilliantly conceived and extraordinarily well-executed, used the arts to yoke the long and complicated history of black people in America to the unprecedented times our nation and the world are experiencing today. 'Freedom' employed music, dance, and the spoken word in a seamless march across centuries before an aggregated audience of more than 50,000 people, who saw the program from a variety of modern day platforms — including Roku, YouTube, Vimeo, Fire TV and Facebook — projecting images and sounds from the small but mighty historic Karamu stage.

Gabrielle Shipley, center, and Soursop dance company perform in "Freedom on Juneteenth."

The unique production — conceived, written and produced within 10 days as a response to the murder of George Floyd — gained pre-performance attention from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe, which no doubt contributed to the nationwide audience that made this Karamu’s most successful production from a viewership standpoint. 

The show was taken down from its original platforms after 24 hours. It will be re-broadcast, along with the pre-recorded panel discussion that followed, on Monday, June 29 at 8PM EST/5PM PST and Sunday, July 5 at 3PM EST / 12PM PST. The entire 90 minutes will be available on Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, Fire TV and Roku.

Prophet Seay performs as a griot, or storyteller,
in Karamu House's "Freedom on Juneteenth."

Karamu president, CEO and artistic director Tony Sias and his entire team deserve major kudos for this effort. Remarkably, the production was filmed over two days and produced within the following two days to air on Friday, June 19. 

One of the many high points for this viewer was the recitation of Claude McKay’s defiant poem, If We Must Die, by Karamu veteran Ananias Dixon. Other poetic works were from Karamu pioneer and Harlem Renaissance wunderkind Langston Hughes, the playwright Mary E. Weems, and the multi-talented Daniel Gray-Kontar of Twelve Literary Arts.

The show will be re-broadcast on Monday, June 29 and Sunday, July 5.

The performance was produced at breakneck pace under the press not only of the calendar but also an ongoing health pandemic. Karamu’s management implemented numerous measures to ensure compliance with CDC regulations and recommendations. All individuals were double-screened with symptom questionnaires and temperature checks. Masks were worn at all times when social distancing was not completely guaranteed. Only certain numbers of people were allowed in the theatre at any given time. Additionally, the entire facility was used for dressing rooms to ensure that every performer could maintain ample distance.

The production was followed by  a panel of community leaders who reacted to the production. Panelists included Edward M. Barksdale, Jr., Surgeon-in-Chief, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital; Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon, Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals; and Chenoa Miller, Youth Activist/Organizer, and Brand Ambassador, EmpowerCLE. Each brought unique insights to bear in responding to the production. 

Dr. Barksdale, for example, noted that "it does not take a  halo or a set of wings to move things forward. It takes resolve."

Judge Blackmon expressed her love for General Order No. 3, the declaration that informed the slaves in Galveston Texas, that they were free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. She observed that the order didn't speak merely of freedom; it spoke of equality. "That's what Black Lives Matter is saying!"

The judge had an excellent suggestion about how technology could operate to counter police officers who turn off their police cameras; central police headquarters should turn them back on automatically. 

It was especially welcome to have Ms Miller's voice; too often we give lip service to the next generation in lieu of having them participate and speak their own truth.

The program was the first in Karamu's new monthly Social Justice series. The next program will be July 23, 2020 at 7PM and will focus on policing and criminal justice. 

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Photo Credit: Kayla Lupean

Karamu to livestream Juneteenth celebration tonight at 7p

Program launches Karamu’s new Social Justice Series. In a sign of the times, it’s one of hundreds of Juneteenth events around the country amid growing awareness of the holiday, black history and culture

By R. T. Andrews

Freedom on Juneteenth, an original theatrical production from America's oldest Black producing theatre, will debut tonight at 7PM EST/4PM PST on social media and streaming platforms. It’s an original theatrical production and an artistic response to the recent murders of Black Americans through music, dance, and spoken word.

The one-hour production will stream on social media, including Facebook and YouTube, and select streaming platforms, including Vimeo, Roku and Fire TV. Immediately following the theatrical program, Freedom on Juneteenth continues with a live, 30-minute panel discussion and interactive dialogue with community leaders on the recent developments of the #BlackLivesMatter movement (and the continuing police brutality and murders of African Americans).

Freedom on Juneteenth is designed to celebrate, educate, and activate communities. "Within hours of filming our last scene, another Black man, Rayshard Brooks, was murdered by a police officer," says Tony F. Sias, President & CEO of Karamu House, who conceptualized and directed the production. "There is an extreme urgency to respond to these murders — and to address the freedoms that African Americans still do not yet experience, 155 years after the last slave in this country went free (on June 19, 1865). Freedom on Juneteenth is Karamu House's unapologetic response."

[To watch the trailer for Freedom on Juneteenth, click here.]

The production features a large number of performers including several who will be well-known to Karamu aficionados, such as Ananias Dixon, Daniel Gray Kontar, Prophet Seay, and Mariama Whyte. The ensemble also includes dancers Gabrielle Shipley, Inali Pechardo, Dijon Kirkland, Jameelah Raman, Aziza Bomani,  and Dr. Munirah Bomani.

As usual, there is a top-notch musical ensemble, led by Dr. David M. Thomas on keyboards and including Kevin Byous on guitar, Wayne A. Deadwiley on bass Deion Williams on drums,  and percussionist Bill Ransom.

Live panel discussion follows production

A panel of local community leaders will discuss the #BlackLivesMatters movement following the "Freedom on Juneteenth" production. It is slated to begin at 8PM EST.

This panel will gather live in the Jelliffe Theatre; while still closed to the public, the event will be livestreamed on Karamu House's Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo pages.

The 30-minute live panel and dialogue will feature Dr. Edward M. Barksdale, Jr., Surgeon-in-Chief, University Hospital Rainbow Babies &Children's Hospital; Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon, Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals; and Chenoa Miller, Youth Activist / Organizer, Brand Ambassador, EmpowerCLE.

The program also kicks off Karamu House's new monthly Social Justice Series. The Series will be held monthly and feature, like tonight’s event, a mix of artistic response and community dialogue.

"Karamu's social justice legacy has paved the way for our current social justice engagement and impact," says Aseelah Shareef, Director of Operations and Community Engagement. "We will continue to carry the baton and unapologetically demand and work for sustained changes for Black Americans."

Karamu House is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and featured in the Smithsonian's African American Museum. Legendary artists including Langston Hughes, Ruby Dee, Robert Guillaume, Ron O'Neal, Bill Cobbs, James Pickens, Jr., Vanessa Bell Calloway and Imani Hakim have been associated with the 105-year old "place of joyful gathering" (the meaning of "Karamu" in Swahili.)

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Juneteenth background

Here are some helpful references on this holiday, observed in some parts of the U.S. ever since 1866:

• The Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. published this extended history of Juneteenth in June 2013 on The Root.

• A more modest description was published this week in The Hill. It contains an abbreviated chronology of black history up to 1865 that will jolt the novitiate and prod the forgetful.

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We want to give a shout here to Kevin Clayton, Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who delivered a heartfelt statement on the holiday at the inspired location of the African American Cultural Garden. Watch the short video here.

Finally, we note that National Geographic is Simulcasting an ABC News prime time Juneteenth special tonight, tying  the holiday to the ongoing struggle for equality in America.

The special will be led by a team of ABC News anchors and correspondents including “ABC News Live Prime” anchor Linsey Davis and “Nightline” co-anchor Byron Pitts. The one-hour special will feature reporting from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Galveston, Texas, and other cities across the country observing the day. “Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming” airs Friday, June 19 (8-9PM EDT), on ABC and National Geographic.

“Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming” will present intimate stories, examining the legacy of the holiday through the current lens of political and social unrest that has captured global attention. The special will feature stories of Black-owned businesses and the #BuyBlack movement to support them, the fight for voting rights and protecting them in 2020, the struggle to pass congressional anti-lynching legislation, the power of Black spirituality and the church and other houses of faith, and how a legacy of suffering has often been transformed into joy through the lens of artists.

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