So you celebrate Juneteenth. Do you know why?
Braata Folk Singers to perform at
Jamaica Performing Arts Center
Caribbean Life, JUNE 11-17, 2021 49
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
It’s a party!
And you know what that
means: fireworks, good food,
family and friends gathered
around. You have something to
f te, to mark happily or solemnly
or importantly. It’s something
you want your kids to
remember. It’s a party, but read
“On Juneteenth” by Annette
Gordon-Reed, and ask yourself
if you really know what you’re
celebrating.
When she learned a few
years ago that the marking of
Juneteenth was slowly making
its way around the rest of the
country, Annette Gordon-Reed
was a little upset. That was a
Texas thing, she believed, and
so it should stay. She was a bit
protective of it all.
But then she began to realize
that sharing the holiday
everywhere was a good thing.
Juneteenth, she says, or June
19, 1865, “was the day that
enslaved African Americans
in Texas were told that slavery
had ended, two years after
the Emancipation Proclamation
had been signed…” It was
“shocking” on two levels: that
Book cover of “On Juneteenth” by Annette Gordon-Reed.
slavery was over, and that Black
Texans were suddenly “on an
equal plane of humanity with
whites…” That, she says, “was
of enough consequence to the
entire nation that it should be
celebrated nationwide.”
Sometimes, she says, Texas
itself is an enigma to much
of the rest of America, and
mythology replaces facts in
peoples’ minds. Texas, for
instance, is not all desert and
sagebrush. It’s more than longhorn
cattle, Stetsons, cowboys,
oil rigs, and Native Americans.
There’s more to the people of
the Lone Star State than what
old westerns will teach you,
and that includes a history of
African people in Texas, the
first of whom floated on a raft
to the Galveston area well over
300 years before Juneteenth.
Still, it wasn’t until 1872
that four Black Houstonians
decided to throw together some
money for land they set aside
for celebrating. The park they
established still exists; so does
Juneteenth and its traditions,
thanks to “so much Texas history
brought together for this
one special day.”
And now you know – or at
least you will, completely, once
you’ve read “On Juneteenth.”
In that, you’ll get a quick,
149-page lesson in history that
seems initially to meander –
not a bad thing, since Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Annette
Gordon-Reed uses the journey
to educate readers on such
varied subjects as language
differences, misunderstandings,
movies, The Yellow Rose
of Texas, hidden references to
slavery, and other things that
white history‘s often glossed
over. Yes, that may seem like a
lot to pack into such a slim volume,
but you won’t feel rushed
or overwhelmed here; instead,
and because Gordon-Reed
takes readers to her grandparents’
farm between lessons,
this book is a treat, rather like
summer vacation with a museum
trip or an informational
tour and ice cream at the end.
Absolutely, look for this book.
You can use “On Juneteenth“
as a good refresher course, if
you’ve already ordered the fireworks
and meats for the barbecue.
If you’re new to the celebration,
grab the book, tuck it
in your pocket, and won’t it be
a party?
“On Juneteenth” by
Annette Gordon-Reed
c.2021, Liveright
$15.95 / $21.95
Canada
149 pages
On Juneteenth author, Annette Gordon-Reed. Tony Rinaldo Photography
Caribbean Folk Group the
Braata Folk Singers will be
expanding their repertoire in
their first live production since
the pandemic began. The New
York-based group will include
inspirational and reggae songs
at their June 20, 2021 concert.
The Braata Folk Singers,
under the creative direction of
Jamaican born actor, singer,
and producer Andrew Clarke,
and the musical direction of
Joel Edwards, will present
“Rebirth” on Sunday, June 20,
2021, at the Jamaica Performing
Arts Center at 6 pm. A
contribution of $20 is recommended
per ticket. Tickets can
be reserved at braataproductions.
org/bfs2021. The Center is
located at 153-10 Jamaica Ave.,
Jamaica, New York, near the
Parsons/Archer subway stop.
Braata Productions is dedicated
to giving Caribbean and
Caribbean-American artists
a platform to showcase their
work and talents. Their mission
is to transform lives through
cultural awareness and the
arts and bring Caribbean folk
culture, artists, music, stories,
movement, and theater into
more prominent spaces while
providing an opportunity for
Caribbean artists to receive
greater recognition. The Braata
Folk Singers are proud ambassadors
of Caribbean folk music.
Queens County is home to one
of the world’s largest communities
of Caribbean expatriates in
the world.
The title of the show is a
metaphor for the world emerging
from the pandemic. Clarke
stated the program is inspired
by people coming out of their
cocoons of homes, apartments,
and lofts to a different world
than people who lived in precovid.
“It is a rebirth of sorts. A
rebirth of ways people interact
with each other and share
space. It is a rebirth in the way
we greet strangers and friends.
It is a rebirth because we now
have a new way of doing things,”
Clarke explained. “As COVID
winds down, the big query is
not how are you doing, but have
you been vaccinated?”
Advanced ticket purchases
are encouraged to minimize
in-person purchasing and to
observe Covid protocols. For
those unable to attend the concert,
donations are encouraged
towards the Braata Folk Singer’s
continued existence.
The program is supported
in part by public funds from
the New York City Department
of Cultural Affairs in partnership
with the City Council and
Council Member Alicka Amry-
Samuel.
For more information, to
purchase tickets, or to donate
to the Braata Folk Singers,
visit https://www.braataproductions.
org/bfs2021.
/bfs2021
/bfs2021
/bfs2021
