Freedom. Liberation. Hope. Joy.
Juneteenth: Jubilation
A Drive In Theater Experience celebrating Black Joy.
This one night only event at Gardenship Art features media works by award-winning artists, photographers & filmmakers.
Click here to purchase your parking reservation!
Featuring:
Jamel Shabazz @jamelshabazz
Gary Campbell @the_artist_recreates_the_world
Don'dre Bullock @donmagazne
Kay The Kreator @kaythekreator
Dolly P. @princeofinternationalsound
Tiffany Salas @tiff_styles_u2
Curatorial Statement
Juneteenth celebrates freedom and pays homage to our ancestors.
Though our works inspire the Arts; our talents are often overlooked in our creative industries & our credits never given.
Our duty is to curate the narratives about us, by us; for us.
Unity is necessary.
Allyship is necessary.
Awareness is necessary.
Most importantly, the freedom to just be is necessary.
Each film is a visual of Black Expression in its varied forms; each should be celebrated.
-Tiffany "Chiffani" Salas
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th 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.
Later attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the receipt of this important news have yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. And still another is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All of which, or none of these versions could be true. Certainly, for some, President Lincoln’s authority over the rebellious states was in question. Whatever the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory. (juneteenth.com)