Celebrate Juneteenth by Any Means Necessary With a Film Screening in Overtown

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year, his administration has honed in on a rollback of diversity initiatives. The history of Black Americans, in particular, is undergoing a revisionist narrative aimed at minimizing or trivializing the lingering effects of the transatlantic slave trade on today's society.

While it's still unclear how this agenda will affect Juneteenth celebrations on a national level, local events are still going forward. Still, much like Pride, event organizers are seeing a decline in sponsorships, as some organizations do not want to be perceived as supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Thankfully, the Ocean Drive gem, the Betsy, is not one of these.

The hotel's owner, Jonathan Plutzik, and his wife, Lesley Goldwasser, have long supported the arts, with a particular emphasis on underrepresented voices.

For its Juneteenth celebration, the hotel has partnered with filmmaker Rachelle Salnave to present a screening of her short documentary, Art: By Any Means Necessary, at the Overtown Performing Arts Center on Saturday, June 21. The hotel will also host a series of networking events at its piano bar on June 19, 20, and 22.

Salnave's documentary, which premiered last year at the Third Horizon Film Festival, explores how Haitian and Guadeloupean artists combat erasure and reclaim their creative autonomy.

"The film focuses on an old film school in Haiti, where the former students are trying to save the school from closing. It is juxtaposed with an abandoned cultural center in Guadeloupe, where artists are sending a message to the French government to say that what they are doing is wrong," Salnave tells New Times.

The Haitian-American filmmaker notes that when she brought the film to Miami last year, she observed a similar phenomenon occurring with Black artists and cultural centers in the city, which are under constant threat of gentrification. She points to the Little Haiti Cultural Center as a local example.

Salnave hopes this weekend's screening and events will highlight the problem while celebrating Black artists and culture.

"Three of the people who are in the film are coming, and one of them, Florence Naprix, is a singer, and she's actually singing at the Betsy on Friday, she says.

The New York native says she appreciates the Betsy's support not just of her event but also of Black and brown artists over the years. "The Betsy, they're great because they get it," she adds.

She points out that not too long ago, Black Americans were not allowed to stay on Miami Beach; instead, the community created a burgeoning ecosystem of venues, hotels, and facilities in areas such as Overtown and Brownsville.

"The history of Overtown is incredible," Salnave says, noting the neighborhood's history as Colored Town and as a haven for Black residents and visitors. "The biggest misconception about Overtown is that people still don't understand the history and the value that this community brings. The leaders in this community are still fighting tooth and nail to make sure that people within this community and the Black and brown community are able to be here."

Salnave's reinforcement of the area's history and context reminds us that, in light of today's landscape, Juneteenth feels more crucial than ever.

"I think what makes this Juneteenth pretty interesting for me and for this event is it's exactly what we're talking about: freedom, liberation, and the arts," Salnave says. "Art is so vital to humanity. It's a human rights issue when you're dealing with censorship and taking away art spaces and artist voices and keeping art at the bottom of the totem pole or excluding art altogether."

Art: By Any Means Necessary Screening. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Overtown Performing Arts Center, 1074 NW Third Ave., Miami. Admission is free with RSVP via eventbrite.com.

Artist Echo Networking Hour. With Boss Blow, Florence Naprix, and Guy-Robert Yves-Mary Barjon. 6 to 11 p.m. Thursday, June 19; Friday, June 20; and Sunday, June 22; at the Betsy, 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 844-539-2840; thebetsyhotel.com. Admission is free.