Photo by Taylor Brown
Audio By Carbonatix
The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts began its Black culture celebration, the Juneteenth Juke Joint, in 2022. It seems that the celebration of Black culture, music, and food in the American South has gained annual status.
The event is part of the Heritage Project, a program created by the Arsht Center to promote social equality and amplify Black voices, according to Zaylin Yates from the Heritage Project Committee. This year’s event returns on Wednesday, June 14.
Juneteenth has been celebrated for generations as the country’s second Independence Day. It commemorates the end of slavery when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to free enslaved people.
Also known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, or Black Independence Day, Juneteenth, a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth,” has been celebrated since as a day of gathering, cookouts, music, and pride in Black freedom. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act that recognized June 19 as a federal holiday.
Juke joints, explains Yates, were backwoods roadside establishments run and patronized by Black Americans in the years after slavery ended. They were primarily found in the South and were safe spaces for Black people to gather and find solace while drinking and listening to the music of Black artists and finding joy among each other while escaping the outside world.
The Arsht Center’s Juneteenth Juke Joint was created a year after Juneteenth was recognized as a national holiday.
“Although Juneteenth stems from a negative part of history, we choose to celebrate Black joy and freedom, which everyone in Miami can enjoy,” says Yates, who adds that last year’s event sold out in only a few weeks.
Guests enjoy the 2022 Juneteenth Juke Joint.
Photo by Taylor Brown
The event, meant for those 18 years and older, features a mix of pan-African vibes with smooth jazz from DJ Shacia Päyne Marley, granddaughter of Bob and Rita Marley, and renowned saxophonist, producer, and composer Melton Mustafa Jr.
“I think these types of events either celebrate, teach, or evoke a conversation, which is why paying homage to history is always important,” Yates says.
Mustafa Jr. returns for the second edition of Juneteenth Juke Joint at the Arsht.
The son of international jazz trumpeter Melton Mustafa Sr., Mustafa Jr. views Juneteenth as a celebration, reflection, and obligation to honor those who came before him. He goes on to say that music and the arts are a way to spark dialogue and bridge gaps between different cultures.
The saxophonist says his performance will feature a celebration of Black American music, taking the audience through several genres of music such as gospel, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, funk, and hip-hop.
“Music has always been a part of every important Black movement. It is a way to showcase our importance and creativity. My hope is to continue to create music that fuels today’s movements and to have it serve as a reminder of the stock that we come from,” he says.
– Jonel Juste, ArtburstMiami.com
Juneteenth Juke Joint. 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $35.
