Things To Do Thursday: Detroit Celebrates 145th Annual Juneteenth

  http://www.maah-detroit.org/

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of slavery’s end in the United States. The national observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day began in Galveston, Texas in 1865. 

Today, Juneteenth symbolizes overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the pursuit of knowledge and the determination to achieve greatness. It is also a time to celebrate our histories, assess and improve ourselves and plan our futures. Having evolved into a cross-cultural celebration, Juneteenth challenges each of us to "Celebrate Freedom, Celebrate Life."

According to Tom Feelings, the author of The Middle Passage:

Juneteenth is a day of reflection, a day of renewal, a pride-filled day. It is a moment in time taken to appreciate the African American experience. It is inclusive of all races, ethnicities and nationalities - as nothing is more comforting than the hand of a friend.

This year celebrations will take place all over the city. Detroit has the potential to be a mecca for black activism and revolutionary movements.

Virgil H Carr Cultural Arts Center of Michigan located in the heart of Downtown Detroit. Juneteenth Alive will be a mix of information, entertainment and education. Juneteenth is recognized by many African Americans as the official commemoration of the abolition of slavery. Famed Freedom Rights advocate and native Detroiter Chokwe Lumumba will give his first address to Detroit since being elected to Jackson MS City Council. Khary WAE Frazier will lead the cultural hip-hop band General Population as they record a LIVE ALBUM.  Call 313.598.0408 for more info or visit www.generalpopulation.org

Hermione's African American Community Center - 13515 Plymouth Rd. Saturday, June 19th. Prayer Breakfast-9a.m.($7.00) Guest Speaker, The Honorable Kwame Kenyatta, City Council Member. Miss Juneteenth Contest. African Dance and other features. Food, Games, Vendors all day. Fun for all ages. Grown Folks Party - 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. Call (313) 587-1206 for more information

Display your support with a yard sign. CLICK HERE for more information. 

Read the "D" Spots blog about Juneteenth 2009

Read more in depth information about Juneteenth here

Things to Do Thursday: This weekend is gonna be BIG!

This year, the African World Festival and the

International Carribbean Festival and Parade 

will be held at the same time!

The schedule of events is here...

I posted last year about the fun in Detroit on the 3rd weekend of August in Detroit...see that post here.

 

The Woodward Dream Cruise is also this weekend!

The Dream Cruise Activity Schedule is here...

Things to Do Thursday: Juneteenth Celebration

One of Detroit's largest Juneteenth Celebrations will take place on Saturday, June 20 from 10:00 - 2:00 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History. Click here for the flyer...



"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19^th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

According to Tom Feelings, the author of The Middle Passage:

Juneteenth is a day of reflection, a day of renewal, a pride-filled day. It is a moment in time taken to appreciate the African American experience. It is inclusive of all races, ethnicities and nationalities - as nothing is more comforting than the hand of a friend.

Juneteenth is a day on which honor and respect is paid for the sufferings of slavery. It is a day on which we acknowledge the evils of slavery and its aftermath. On Juneteenth we talk about our history and realize because of it, there will forever be a bond between us.

On Juneteenth we think about that moment in time when the enslaved in Galveston, Texas received word of their freedom. We imagine the depth of their emotions, their jubilant dance and their fear of the unknown.

Juneteenth is a day that we commit to each other the needed support as family, friends and co-workers. It is a day we build coalitions that enhance African American economics.

On Juneteenth we come together young and old to listen, to learn and to refresh the drive to achieve. It is a day where we all take one step closer together - to better utilize the energy wasted on racism. Juneteenth is a day that we pray for peace and liberty for all.

Doin' It in Detroit: King Tut Exhibit

One of the greatest traveling exhibitions in the world will be in Detroit
for the next several weeks:

TUTANKHAMUN

“Wonderful things” from The Pharaoh’s Tomb October, 2008 through the end of January, 2009 at Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

One hundred and twenty six (126) stunning and exact replicas of Tutankhamun’s, ancient Egypt’s boy king – pharaoh - sacred and personal possessions:
• His magnificent state chariot
• Golden shrines
• Beds
• Thrones
• Jewelry and adornment
• Spectacular funerary mask
• Sarcophagus
• His royal mummy along with associated artifacts from the period surrounding Tutankhamun’s reign are presented in a nearly 5,000 square foot exhibition that reconstructs the historic discovery of the tomb by Howard Carter.

An innocent puppet-ruler, Tutankhamun was caught in the midst of a dangerous and profound political, spiritual, and artistic revolution against the entire pantheon of ancient Egyptian gods by the first monotheistic religious cult in history. The pharaoh’s much overlooked African heritage is explored, along with the religious magic of the sacred objects, and the infamous curse of Tutankhamun.

The exhibition is presented in 5 chambers, 1.) An introduction to Ancient Egypt, 2.) The archaeological discovery, 3.) The private pharaoh, 4). The public pharaoh and, 5.) The royal burial. The artifacts are elegantly displayed on pedestals of simulated Egyptian granite, a sound-track of ambient music is also provided, especially composed to evoke the timeless mystery of the ancient tomb. This classic exhibition vividly brings to life the enigmatic opulent age of 18th Dynasty Egypt.
(Courtesy of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History)

Museum Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am - 5 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm - 5 pm
315 East Warren Avenue
Detroit MI 48201
313.494.5800

Group Rates and Tours are available.

Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History

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Detroit Jewel: Marcus Belgrave

 Marcus Belgrave is a Detroit Jewel. He was recently awarded the title of Jazz Master Laureate for the City of Detroit by the Detroit City Council. Marcus Belgrave, a jazz trumpeter in the style of the late Louis Armstrong, has played with all of the jazz greats; including Ray Charles, Wynton Marsalis, Yusef Lateef, Curtis Fuller, Charles McPherson, and Ron Carter.  He has also collaborated with Ella Fitzgerald, Charles Mingus, McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Eric Dolphy, Aretha Franklin, and Joe Henderson. He has mentored and recorded with many other musical legends.  Although his singing style often brings to mind that of Louis Armstrong, his music covers the entire genre of jazz; from early 20th-century New Orleans, through Swing and Bebop, to contemporary jazz. 

But to call Marcus Belgrave "just" a jazz trumpeter is a serious understatement. He is an educator, a composer, an arranger, and a producer. He is also a professor of music at Oberlin University in Oberlin Ohio, and a co-founder of the Jazz Studies Program at The Detroit Metro Arts Complex as well as the Jazz Development Workshop; both in Detroit.

Born in Chester Pennsylvania, Marcus Belgrave moved to Detroit in the mid-1960s to become a staff trumpeter with Motown Records. He was also an original member of the Lincoln Jazz Center Orchestra. Detroit City Councilwoman Joann Watson presented Mr. Belgrave with his award at a ceremony at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.

Marcus Belgrave, Jazz Master Laurate for the City of Detroit: a Detroit Jewel.

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Detroit Weekend: FireBall 2008

Usually on Thursdays, I post a Detroit Weekend “Staycation”. This week, however, I would like to highlight an event hosted by a group of young Detroit entrepreneurs and budding philanthropists: The Contemporary Friends of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History (MAAH).

 Most “Friends of” groups consist of older, highly monied business leaders and society people. This group however, represents the “new school” of Detroit “society”--30- and 40-something business leaders who are ready to take the baton on supporting Detroit cultural institutions. In 2005, the Contemporary Friends created a nationwide network of Detroiters and former Detroiters to provide monetary and business support of the Museum. The FireBall, now in its third year, is a fund-raiser to support the acquisition and expansion of exhibits, as well as a networking event for those under age 45.
This year's Fire Ball will take place on Saturday, August 23 at the Colony Club in Detroit,
Michigan, located at 2310 Park Avenue. The special hosts include Kenny Burns and DJ Mick Boogie.
Tickets start at $150 and can be purchased HERE or by calling the Fire Ball Hotline at (866) 444-262. You can visit Simply Casual on Livernois on the Avenue of Fashion if you haven't yet secured your outfit for the Ball.

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Detroit Staycation: African World Festival and Woodward Dream Cruise

If this is Thursday, it's Detroit Staycation Time! If this is the 3rd weekend of August, it's time for the African World Festival on Hart Plaza! If this is the 3rd Saturday of August, it's time for the Woodward Dream Cruise!

The African World Festival, now in its 26th year, is touted as the largest African-themed festival in the world. Sponsored by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, features entertainment, artists and artwork from around the world, a market place, storytelling, and food and fun for the entire family. The Festival starts Friday, August 15 and runs through Sunday, August 17.

Special guest artists this year include the O'Jays, Rootz Underground from Jamaica, Mo'Nique, and one of Detroit's Blues Queens, Thornetta Davis, who will be getting married on stage! There will be face painting, arts and crafts, stilt walkers, and martial arts and dancing for the kids; and African drummers and a Step Show for the grown folks. An exciting cultural treasure to experience and celebrate the heritage of the African Diaspora in Detroit! Like all the summer festivals at Hart Plaza on the Detroit River, the African World Festival is free!

On Saturday August 16, the 14th Annual Woodward Cruise rolls down Woodward Avenue, "America's First Highway". Betcha didn't know that Woodward Avenue was the first concrete paved thoroughfare in the world!

The Woodward Dream Cruise, which has grown into the world's largest one-day celebration of America's car culture, originally started as a fundraiser for a soccer field in Ferndale! The Cruise attracts more than one million visitors and over 40,000 classic and custom-built cars every year. The Woodward Dream Cruise will last from 9 am to 9 pm, and the route stretches from Ferndale to Pontiac, Michigan. It is an alcohol-free, family-friendly event. The official Woodward Dream Cruise website has all of the latest news about this exciting--and free!--event.

As everyone in metro Detroit knows, the Dream Cruise actually starts before the Saturday official event; on Thursday at Comerica Park, there will be a Classic Car Show and Musical Entertainment from 4 - 10 pm. On Friday in Ferndale, there will be an "Emergency Vehicle Show", musical entertainment, and the official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Pontiac will be hosting several musical events all day on Friday and Saturday. For a listing of all the events hosted by the nine cities of the Dream Cruise, just check out the website.

If it's summer in Detroit, it's time for fun in the "D"! Did I mention the musical acts? If it's Detroit, you know there will be music!

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