Juneteenth SD celebration guide
San Diego Theatres have many different options for audiences looking to celebrate Juneteenth. With events starting on Sunday, June 13th there are events to enjoy through June 19th! Here is a quick guide to Juneteenth celebrations throughout San Diego.
Say It Loud Festival - This inaugural festival from the San Diego Black Artist Collective features a week-long celebration with live and virtual events from June 13th - 19th sdblackartistcollective.com/sayitloud
Opening Night 6 p.m. June 13 at The Flower Fields, 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad
Directed by Milena Sellers Phillips the Opening Night Ceremony will feature poetry, singing, plays, and a presentation of colors by members of the Buffalo Soldier Mounted Cavalry Unit, a troop of volunteer re-enactors who honor the contributions of Black mounted cavalry soldiers who served the U.S. on the Western frontier beginning in 1866. Viewers can watch the ceremony online, or in person.
Stay and Play Book Club -7:30 p.m. June 14
Stay and Play Book Club: Ahmed K. Dents of San Diego Rep moderates this live online discussion, led by Real J. Wallace about James Baldwin’s 1963 book “The Fire Next Time,” which includes the essay “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation.”
THE MANGO TREE Streaming at 6 p.m. June 14; 8:30 p.m. June 15 and 18; 6 p.m. June 19
THE MANGO TREE Bibi Mama wrote, co-directed with Claire Simba and stars in this world premiere solo play about a sister, a brother, a river goddess and a mango that is just out of reach. Mama is a first-generation Beninese-American performer who recently graduated from the Old Globe USD Graduate Acting MFA Program. Her one-woman play was inspired by West African folk tales, and it’s an homage to the tradition passed down by her father and an exploration of loss.
AND WE DANCED - Streaming at 6 p.m. June 15; 8 p.m. June 18; 8:30 p.m. June 19
“And We Danced”: Hip hop artist, playwright and activist Miki Vale wrote this play that offers a glimpse into the history of LGBTQ pioneers Ruth Ellis and Babe Franklin, whose juke joint in Detroit, known as “the gay spot,” was a refuge for gay and lesbian Black Americans in the 1950s and ‘60s. Joy Yvonne Jones directs.
GET ON BOARD - Streaming at 6 p.m. June 16; 8 p.m. June 17; 6 p.m. June 18; 7 p.m. June 19. GET ON BOARD: A co-creation of Joy Yvonne Jones, John Wells III, Bryan Barbarin and Eboni Muse, with music direction by Leonard Patton and Barbarin, this revue showcases the evolution of Black music through time, starting with African drums and moving to contemporary hip hop. Show also features Erin Vanderhyde and Andre Caston.
6 p.m. June 17 BAC Take Over: We Are Listening: BAC members Milena (Sellers) Phillips and Zack King co-host this live online discussion of film, featuring local filmmakers Michael Taylor and Jayden Dail. 7.
Artists 4 Black Lives SD - Starts at 1pm on June 19th
The second annual Juneteenth celebration, led by the Artists 4 Black Lives SD founder Eboni Muse begins at 1 p.m. June 19 in Balboa Park’s Pepper Grove Park. Muse, who is a gifted singer and actor, this year is collaborating with the BAC and the youth organization Black in PUSD. The event will be filled with live entertainment, music, song, dance, and advocacy
There will also be booths for organizations such as the BIPOC Support Foundation, Give Light Doula & Advocacy Services, Jewish Family Services, Waisted Spirituality, and some food and drink businesses.
Pepper Grove Park is located just east of the Centro Cultural de la Raza on Park Boulevard. For more, visit facebook.com/artists4blacklivessd
Community Actor’s Theatre Juneteenth Fest - An Outdoor Event
10am - 4pm June 19th
This free outdoor event is being held in front of the Community Actors Theatre and will a wide array of vendors, along with food trucks, coffees, and teas. Entertainment will include “Pete Johnson’s Blues Band”, Comedy, Poetry, The History of “JUNETEENTH”, Heartsoldiers Ministry and SK”, Michael Sim’s Blues Band, Paul Taylor, Sr., Marlon Daito, and more.
The Old Globe Juneteenth Celebration - noon to 1:15pm June 19th
The Globe’s fifth annual celebration, being hosted in collaboration with the George L. Stevens Senior Center, will take place from noon to 1:15 p.m. June 19 in the Globe’s outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre. The Globe AXIS event will feature cabaret performances by a number of artists, including members of the BAC. Admission is free, but reservations are required by calling (619) 234-5623 or theoldglobe.org