The Hofstra Cultural Center is joining Sweet Honey In The Rock®, a performance ensemble rooted in African American culture and tradition, to present a virtual concert commemorating Juneteenth on Friday, June 19, at 8 p.m. This event, featuring music, poetry and discussion, is a chance to reflect on the nation’s turbulent racial past and present while uplifting the dignity and well-being of all people.
(Photo by Christopher Robinson)
The performance is streaming live from the historic stage at The Lincoln Theater in Washington, DC. Special guests include Bryan Stevenson, Danny Glover, Gina Belafonte, Sonia Sanchez, Aloe Blacc, William Barber III, Kiki Shepard, Jenifer Lewis, Jordan Waré, and Sophia Dawson.
Juneteenth honors the day in 1865 when news of emancipation reached the last group of enslaved black people in Galveston, TX – two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in Confederate states. The 13th Amendment made slavery illegal later that year.
The Hofstra community is proud to co-sponsor this event with Sweet Honey In The Rock. Prior to the university’s spring closure due to the COVID-19 crisis, the group was to have performed on campus as part of the Hofstra Cultural Center series, The Legacy 1619-2019, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to North America.
An internationally renowned Grammy Award®-nominated female vocal quartet, Sweet Honey In The Rock has a history that spans more than four decades. They are best known for music that creates a positive, loving, and socially conscious message, as reflected in their 24th recording, 2016’s #LoveInEvolution. Their concerts educate, entertain, and empower audiences and communities through both a cappella singing and American Sign Language interpretation. Audiences come from diverse backgrounds and cultures throughout the United States and around the world.
The public can watch this performance for free on Facebook Live, YouTube, and on Sweet Honey’s website. For more information on Friday’s concert, visit the event’s Facebook page.
