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It’s Juneteenth weekend and there are numerous celebrations around the country that one can participate in now that it’s an official holiday, which we’ve compiled in a shortlist.
As a cherished part of Black history, Juneteenth has gained greater recognition nationwide within the last few years thanks to the efforts of advocates like Opal Lee. Also known as The momentum culminated in it being recognized as a federal holiday by President Joe Biden in 2021. As this weekend kicks in, we’ve assembled a list of events taking place nationwide that one can attend to honor Juneteenth the right way.
Fort Worth, Texas
Opal Lee began her crusade to get Juneteenth recognized in her hometown of Fort Worth, first beginning in 2016 with a walking campaign from Fort Worth to Washington D.C. at the age of 89. This year, several events held in honor of the day include the chance to recreate part of the activist’s walking campaign and a cookout. More information can be found on their website.
Atlanta, Georgia
The city of Atlanta is steeped in Black history, which lends itself well to its slate of Juneteenth celebrations. There is the annual Juneteenth Parade, held at the Centennial Olympic Park in addition to free concerts sponsored by the NAACP and a 10K event. There will also be a beauty pageant and a block party event downtown. More information can be found on the Discover Atlanta website.
New York City, New York
The nonprofit organization Juneteenth NYC has set up a full weekend of events under the theme “Kaleidoscope of Culture”. Per their website, their aim is to have “20,000+ attendees local to the NYC community to enjoy a vibrant day of rich culture through music, dance, poetry, skits, history, vendors, and family activities,” all set in Brooklyn with a virtual summit held on Friday (June 17). Tickets to the festivities can be found here.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The “City of Brotherly Love” is home to the Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade and Festival. It promotes itself as the largest celebration of Juneteenth nationwide with 25,000 people who have attended since its 2016 inception. This year will see festivities held at Malcolm X Park, featuring an art festival and vendors. There will also be a Hip-Hop concert with Lil Jon, Lil Mo, and Fatman Scoop performing.
Los Angeles, California
As home to many Black Americans who trace their roots to emancipation in southern states after Juneteenth, Los Angeles is putting on an extensive and varied celebration this weekend. In addition to the Juneteenth Festival taking place at Leimert Park on Juneteenth itself, there will be a star-studded concert at the Greek Theatre to be aired live on CNN. Miguel, Kirk Franklin, SWV, Davido, Coi Leray, and Jodeci will be performing at the event among other guests, with Vice President Kamala Harris making an appearance.
Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital will play host to multiple events celebrating Juneteenth this weekend, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture hosting a Juneteenth Community Day with indoor and outdoor events including African drumming concerts to the Scotland Freedom Day concert being held on Sunday (June 18th) featuring Wyclef Jean, Tarrus Riley with Dean Fraser & Black Soil Band, Patrice Roberts, DJ Ablaze and other performers live at the Anthem concert venue. The National Archives will also be displaying the original Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No.3 which was read in Galveston, Texas ending slavery in that state on June 19th, 1865.
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You might not be seeing many headlines these days about the massive litigation underway in Houston over the deadly 2021 disaster at Travis Scott‘s Astroworld festival. That’s by design.
In a ruling Tuesday, an appeals court in Texas refused to lift a strict gag order that for more than a year has barred attorneys and others from discussing the sprawling litigation over the crowd crush at Astroworld, which left 10 dead and hundreds physically injured.
ABC News had challenged the “sweeping” restrictions, arguing they clearly violated the First Amendment’s protections on free speech and had created a “news desert,” in which almost no reliable information about an important case was being shared with the public.
But in its decision on Tuesday, a three-judge panel from the Court of Appeals For The First District of Texas rejected those arguments. Ruling on a battle over judicial transparency, the appeals court did not issue any written explanation for why it had denied ABC’s challenge.
Starting hours after Nov. 5, 2021 incident, lawyers claiming to represent more than 4,900 victims eventually filed more than 400 lawsuits against Scott, Live Nation and other organizers. The cases, later consolidated into a single “multidistrict litigation,” accuse the Astroworld organizers of being legally negligent in how they planned and conducted the event, including not providing enough security and having insufficient emergency protocols in place. Combined, the victims are seeking billions in damages.
But for a case dealing with a mass-casualty event at a popular music festival with billions at stake, relatively little is known about the Astroworld litigation.
Shortly after Judge Kristen Brauchle Hawkins was appointed to oversee the cases, she issued a “publicity order” that largely prohibited attorneys from speaking about the case, citing concerns that “extensive media coverage” threatened to deprive the parties of their right to a fair trial by tainting the jury pool.
The Feb. 15 ruling was both specific and broad – banning attorneys from discussing a wide range of particular topics, including “the strength and weaknesses of any party” and “rulings of the court,“ but also imposing catch-all restrictions on “any other information” that would “prejudice the trial.”
In challenging that order to the appeals court, ABC News argued that it had deprived the public of information about important judicial proceedings over a newsworthy event. The network warned that attorneys were refusing to share even basic information about the case with journalists, out of “fear of violating its broad and vague provisions.”
“The Gag Order, coupled with the lack of transparency from local and state officials, has created a news desert where many questions raised in the days after the Astroworld Festival remain unanswered,” the company wrote. “By [lifting] the Gag Order, this court would provide those connected to both the Astroworld Festival and the litigation the ‘breathing space’ needed to freely share their experiences, the press the ability to hold them to account, and the public the valuable information they need to better understand the events of November 5, 2021.”
But on Tuesday, the appeals court rejected those arguments. In a one-paragraph decision, the panel recounted ABC News’ argument and said simply: “We deny the petition.”
ABC News can appeal the ruling to the Texas Supreme Court. An attorney for the company did not return a request for comment on Wednesday.
Peachtree Premier and 46 Entertainment have announced the inaugural At the Station Festival, headlined by country star Zach Bryan. At the Station takes place Oct. 21, 2023, at the Snook Rodeo Grounds in Snook, TX. Flatland Cavalry, Treaty Oak Revival and Jacob Stelly have also been added to the lineup.
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“Zach Bryan is one of the hottest talents in country music right now,” says Shane Quick, festival owner. “The community and culture in Texas are unmatched. We’ve wanted to bring a festival there for years. BYE week in the fall gave us the opportunity for “At the Station,” and Zach as the headliner is a dream come true.”
Peachtree Premier is the partnership of two independent promoters: Premier Productions and Peachtree Entertainment. Founded in 1996, Premier Productions has been a top 20 global promoter, producing events with over 20 million tickets sold. Peachtree Entertainment, founded by Bradley Jordan in 2013, has been essential in discovering and developing country music acts throughout the Southeast. 46 Entertainment is an all-encompassing event management and production company.
Pre-sale registration for Live at the Station is available at atthestationfest.com. Pre-sale is Thursday, April 20, from 10 AM – 10 PM CT, and tickets will go on-sale to the public on Friday, April 21 at 10 AM CT.
Legendary concert promoter James “Disco Donnie” Estopinal is planning a new festival for central Texas, timed to coincide with a rare total solar eclipse that will be visible across North America next year.
Dubbed the Texas Eclipse, the celebration will take place April 8, 2024 in Burnet at Reveille Peak Ranch, located just 60 minutes outside of Austin.
“About a year from now, millions of people from around the world will be able to witness a once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list event,” Estopinal tells Billboard. “The Texas Eclipse is distinct from the events we normally create and will involve collaboration with various groups and organizations to produce a unique and collective event experience.”
So far, few details on the event have been released. A press release announcing the event explains “Texas Eclipse will be a nexus of cultures, passions and interests; bringing together a curated experience for all to encourage discovery, exploration, and participation. In addition to featuring multi-genre world class music talent, it will also feature the best of Central Texas culture, including interactive art installations and local food and craft vendors. Beginning the weekend before, attendees can camp on the stunning festival grounds to enjoy a host of family-friendly fun, including exciting music performances, mind blowing space exhibits and interactive technology activations ahead of the eclipse.”
Estopinal is partnering with event producer Mitch Morales from Texas event production company Probably Nothing — creator of Austin’s long-running Euphoria festival — for Texas Eclipse.
“Growing up in Central Texas, it’s been a dream of mine to help create an event that celebrates a once-in-a-life experience and brings people from around the world to enjoy the best of music art and culture,” Morales says. “The venue is unique and spectacular and I don’t think there’s a better venue to observe the 2024 eclipse. I’ve admired the team at DDP for a long time and am thrilled to be working with them to bring this dream to reality.”
The April 8 eclipse is expected to last 4 minutes and 20 seconds and will be seen across Texas and a large swath of North America as it heads east, with the first location in continental North America to experience totality being Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT., according to an information page created by NASA. The eclipse is expected to be visible in Texas at approximately 12:23 p.m. CDT.
The 50,000 person event will be spread over the 1,200 acre Reveille Peak ranch, which provides 200 acres of camping grounds, 60 miles of trails and is decorated by beautiful lakes, winding creeks, wooded forests and rolling hills.
More at seetexaseclipse.com
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The Texas police officer who shot and killed Black woman Atatiana Jefferson in 2019 was hit with an 11-year, 10-month prison sentence on Tuesday (Dec. 20). Forth Worth police officer Aaron Dean entered the home of Jefferson’s mother for a wellness check where the biology graduate was watching her nephew.
The tragic shooting of Atatiana Jefferson occurred when a neighbor called in a nonemergency request to check in on the home. Upon approaching the home, Dean, 38, opened fire, striking Jefferson while her 8-year-old nephew was in the room. Days after the shooting, Dean resigned from the Fort Worth Police Department. According to several accounts, Jefferson and her nephew were up late playing video games.
Local outlet KERA shared in its reporting that the family of Jefferson addressed Dean, with the former officer, who is white, showing little to no remorse.
“I have loathed the idea of you with your family during the holiday seasons for the last three years. Today, I have just arrived at pity,” Ashley Carr, the sister of Jefferson, said.
Jefferson was reportedly saving money to attend medical school in order to assist others, this after obtaining a degree in biology in 2014 from Xavier University.
Dean will be eligible for parole after he serves half of his sentence.
Atatiana Jefferson was 28 at the time of her passing.
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