Karamu House to present ‘Freedom on Juneteenth’ performance - cleveland.com

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Karamu House will honor Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, with a new performance titled “Freedom on Juneteenth.”

The pre-recorded program will air on Karamu House’s Facebook and YouTube channels at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 19. The show will also be streamed on Vimeo, Roku and Fire TV and rebroadcast on WVIZ Ideastream in mid-July, according to a Karamu representative.

“Freedom on Juneteenth” will be free to view online. Karamu House will encourage memberships during the show, with the ultimate goal to bring on 1,000 members, Karamu House President and CEO Tony F. Sias said.

The play, which should run for 45 minutes to an hour, explores the themes and history behind Juneteenth -- a holiday recognized in the state of Ohio to honor the day (June 19, 1865) that the last U.S. slaves were freed.

“It is a multimedia docu-drama that deals with Juneteenth,” Sias said. “We start by educating people about Juneteenth, then we go further into educating people about the historical journey of African Americans in this country, and seminal movements as it relates to race relations and black injustices, as well some seminal moments in the African-American journey.”

The tone of “Freedom on Juneteenth” has been altered in the midst of protests surrounding a police officer’s killing of George Floyd. Sias said that the program adapted its focus following Floyd’s death.

Originally, the production would have celebrated the music of Bill Withers along with a general Juneteenth history lesson.

“At the point that George Floyd was murdered, we completely scrapped that plan. We have pulled this production together in the last two weeks,” Sias said. “I called all the people who were involved with the previous concert and told them it wasn’t happening, then I immediately went over to my vision. Everyone told me it was the right thing to do.”

Sias wrote the play, along with Latecia D. Wilson and Mary E. Weems. Sias also serves as the executive producer and artistic director of the play.

Theatrical performances infusing poems, history lessons and multimedia imagery will make up the bulk of “Freedom on Juneteenth.” The show, Sias said, will connect the lynching of Emmett Till in 1955 and the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Local actors involved in the production include Ananias Dixon, Mariama Whyte, Daniel Gray-Kontar and Mary Francis Miller. The Soursop dance company will perform, as will musicians Deion Williams, Bill Ramson, Wayne A Deadwiley and Kevin Byous, under direction from Karamu’s Music Director David M. Thomas.

After the main performance, the final portion of “Freedom on Juneteenth” will discuss community activation, existing today in forms like local elections, protests and diversity movements, Sias said.

“Activating is really about actionable next steps as a result of this most recent murder, but also the trajectory of African Americans and racial inequality in our country,” Sias said. “What do we do differently now?”

Following the program, a live panel will take place on Karamu House’s Facebook and YouTube pages, where viewers can submit questions for a virtual conversation.

Sias said that the “Freedom on Juneteenth” program is a natural extension of Karamu House’s mission in Cleveland. The theater was founded in 1915 as a settlement house, providing resources to immigrant communities in Cleveland through the arts. “Karamu” is the Swahili word for “joyful gathering,” Sias said.

“It’s about our gathering together, and really using the arts as a vehicle of education, awareness and activation,” he said. “This is a part of our core and the fabric of this institution… We really do have this responsibility. Our brand is theater, but we’re much more than a theater.”

You can learn more about “Freedom on Juneteenth” at karamuhouse.org.

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