On June 19th, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army landed in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War was over, and slavery had been abolished. Granger's announcement came more than two years after former President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
In July 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as an official holiday in the Commonwealth, claiming that the annual state holiday would help "recognize the continued need to ensure racial freedom and equality."
At Celebrity Series of Boston, we’re celebrating Black Excellence and Black Joy, and honoring artistic expression as an essential conduit for Black joy, activism, and celebration.
We’re re-watching Black Voices Boston, a storytelling and movement project that features personal narratives paired with collaborative dance works by seven individuals from Boston's Black communities. And we’re remembering how, in 1968, we presented Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at John Hancock Hall at a time where, just down the street, people were gathering, marching, and protesting for Civil Rights. Similar to Black Voices Boston, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, who we have presented on Boston stages since 1968, uses dance and performance art to amplify and value Black and African-American cultural experiences and perspectives.
Diversity of artists, artistic genres, and performance venues has always been at the core of Celebrity Series’ work. We believe the arts are for everyone and that artists help us imagine and build a better future.
Photo Caption: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater leading an Artists Connection workshop
