The Memphis Juneteenth Festival Celebrates 30 Years with Monthlong Events

 

This drumlins from The Memphis Youth Arts Initiative played
an integral part in last year's Memphis Juneteenth Festival.
(Photo by Wiley Henry)

MEMPHIS, TN – Juneteenth is alive and well in Memphis all monthlong and culminates June 17-18 in the 30th annual Memphis Juneteenth Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at Health Sciences Park, 26 South Dunlap in the Medical District.

“We have been at the forefront in Memphis for 30 years in terms of celebrating Juneteenth,” said Dr. Telisa Franklin, the festival’s president. “Now that Juneteenth is a federal holiday, we’re excited that everybody gets a chance to celebrate.”

The celebration began June 1 with the Juneteenth Family Empowerment Fair at Ed Rice Community Center in the Frayer community. Job seekers – even budding entrepreneurs – gleaned something from participating businesses, city and county governments, recruiters, schools, and more.

Next on tap is Franklin’s Juneteenth The Musical Stage Play, Saturday, June 10, at the Holloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, 225 South Main St. Talented singers and dancers from the Young Actors Guild (YAG) will take center stage in this adaptation of the Juneteenth experience after slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been emancipated.  

Chrysti Chandler, who founded YAG 32 years ago, is the play’s creative director. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com for either the 2 p.m. stage play or the one at 7 p.m.

“I give kudos to Chrysti for her vision, creativity, and for interpreting the story of Juneteenth from YAG’s perspective,” Franklin said. “This is a signature event for the Memphis Juneteenth Festival.” 

Up next is the Memphis Juneteenth Community Baby Shower Empowerment Luncheon, Sunday, June 11 at The Kent, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. This event is powered by District 7 City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter Thomas and Franklin.

“The baby shower benefits expecting mothers who need to know where to go for invaluable resources,” Franklin said. “Lots of information will be available.”

There will be information on the health and wellness of mothers and their babies, including breastfeeding and free baby essentials. Topics include “Maternal Mental Health & Grief Trauma Counseling” and “Connections to Resources & Supportative Services.” 

Food, fun and, again, powerful information will be available. Registration is required. Visit www.MemphisJuneteenth.com for more information and details.

The 30th Anniversary Juneteenth Freedom Luncheon is up next, Thursday, June 15, at Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. The grand ballroom is the setting for this 11:30 a.m. luncheon. 

Dr. Raymond Winbush, a noted scholar, activist, research professor and director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, Md., is the keynote speaker.

“If you haven’t heard Dr. Winbush expound on reparations as it relates to Juneteenth, then you’re in for a treat,” Franklin said. “He is the go-to person for African-American history and culture.”

More information is online at www.MemphisJuneteenth.com.

On Saturday, June 17, the Juneteenth Freedom 2.5 Run/Walk commences at Health Sciences Park. The 2.5K Run/Walk is significant because it took 2 ½ years before the slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned they’d been freed.

There’s a Kid Dash as well for runners ages 2-11. Medals will be awarded in each race. Participants can register online as well. 

Also on June 17, the first day of the festival, there will be a Juneteenth Greek Stroll Off. Fraternities and sororities from Historically Black Colleges and Universities will step, snap, or stomp in spirit and pride.

Other highlights of the first day include the Juneteenth Youth Showcase featuring majorettes, drummers, dancers, singers, and cheerleaders. Altogether, the two-day festival features a variety of entertainment, including arts & crafts, food vendors, a car and bike show, and activities for seniors and children.

The Memphis Juneteenth Festival is a 501c (3) organization and one of Memphis’ longest-running festivals. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland recently proclaimed June 17-18 as “The Memphis Juneteenth Festival” and “claim this the official Juneteenth festival in the City of Memphis.”

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris also claimed Juneteenth to be the official festival.

Young Actors Guild of Memphis Celebrates 32 Years as the ‘Harriet’ Comes to Life

Kirsten Harrell, seen here practicing her dance moves, is an
18-year-old Middle College High School student in Memphis and
a company YAG dancer. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

Josie Aldridge, a 13-year-old eighth-grade student from Olive
Branch, Miss., performs spoken word art during a rehearsal
at the Harriet Performing Arts Center.

MEMPHIS, TN – The Harriet Performing Arts Center is home to the Young Actors Guild (YAG) of Memphis. On Feb. 19, the day YAG was born 32 years ago, Chrysti Chandler will celebrate the art center’s second grand opening at 3 p.m.

Located at 2788 Lamar Ave. and Pendleton Street in the historic Orange Mound/Bethel Grove community, this grand opening completes the second round of renovations to the Harriet, which had been an old vacant fire station that Chandler purchased in 2019 from the City of Memphis for $1. 

“All we had to do was renovate it,” she said. 

Chandler contacted three architectural firms to convert the 4000 sq ft. Fire Station No. 22 into multi-purpose studio spaces for three-to 18-year-olds to practice their craft: performing arts, creative arts, theatre, writing, etc.

They all turned her down, she said. “They didn’t think we had the money – which we didn’t.” After running into one of the principles at Self+Tucker Architects, the firm offered to help. 

“We knew we were going to persevere,” she said.

Chandler raised more than $200,000 from the sale of hotdogs, hamburgers, and popcorn at FedExForum to renovate the fire station’s interior first. “We did carwashes and the parents donated too,” she said.

The second phase – the facade – “was completed this week,” said Chandler, and cost around $200,000 as well. Landscaping, lights, a freedom path walk, and signage, which Self+Tucker is designing, will complete the third and final phase sometime in January 2024. 

Although the arts center is named after Harriet Tubman, the abolitionist who freed dozens of slaves via the Underground Railroad, Chandler was inspired to open the Harriet after visiting the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, Calif. 

“We took students there on a college tour in 2018,” she said. “When we drove up, we were right in the ’hood just like we’re in the ’hood in Orange Mound. Those kids that came to her studio were so happy.”

Chandler was confident she could do the same thing in Orange Mound, where she grew up, that Allen had done in California. When she returned to Memphis, she began the arduous work of bringing the Harriet to life.

Since 1991, the year Chandler founded YAG, countless students practiced each Saturday and sometimes on Sunday to hone their talent, to sharpen their skills. The youth group has flourished since then, even without a facility to call their own.

The LeMoyne-Owen College Student Center Little Theater was YAG’s first location. There are two satellite locations: one at 619 North Seventh St. and the other at 1926 First Commercial Dr. N. in Southaven, Miss.

Students come from as far away as Mississippi and Arkansas and other places outside of Memphis to be a part of YAG. Their parents and grandparents lend a helping hand as well, Chandler said. 

Josie Aldridge, a 13-year-old eighth-grade student at Center Hill Middle School in Olive Branch, Miss., joined the group when she was seven years old. She’s on the cusp of doing something great.

An aspiring writer and spoken-word artist, Josie is a little shy – until she takes the stage and delivers a panoply of poetry. But Chandler and her team first helped Josie to release her inhibitions. 

“It helped me come out of my comfort zone. Without it, I wouldn’t have shared any of my writings in the first place,” said Josie, who was inspired to write after listening to the art of spoken word.

“Originally, I was writing songs. But I stopped doing that because I heard other spoken word [art] online, especially during quarantine,” she said. “So, I started writing my own.” 

“They come alive on stage,” said Chandler, referring to Josie and other standouts who shine when they’re facing an audience.

“Josie is phenomenal,” added Sabrina Norwood, YAG’s executive director. “We always tell young people to find their purpose.”

Many of them did – and excelled. 

Gideon McKinney was a 2006 semi-finalist in Season 5 of American Idol; Kris Thomas competed in Season 4 of The Voice in 2013; and Evvie McKinney, Gideon’s sister, won the first season of The Four: Battle for Stardom in 2018. 

“Ms. Chrysti has a gift of putting people in the right place so that they can thrive,” said Norwood, adding: “We’re excited that young people have an awesome space to come to. We finally made our house a home.”

The Harriet’s funding sources vary. The major supporters are ArtsMemphis, which has naming rights to the dance studio; and Memphis Music Initiative, which has naming rights to the donor wall.

The Greater Memphis Chamber will snip the ribbon on Feb. 19.

Momentum Builds as Juneteenth Plans Schedule of Events

 

Ekpe Abioto, a noted Memphis musician who plays the djimbe drums
and other instruments, leads a contingent of musicians along a path at Health Sciences Park during last year's Memphis Juneteenth Festival. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

MEMPHIS, TN – The Memphis Juneteenth Festival is building momentum in the Bluff City and solidifying its brand as a major freedom and cultural festival for African Americans.

The festival was boosted last year after Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of the Juneteenth Movement,” visited Memphis, and after President Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021.

Telisa Franklin, Juneteenth’s president, noticed an uptick in interest and participation from supporters and revelers in Memphis now that Juneteenth is being observed as a federal holiday, one of 11 in the U.S., commemorating June 19, 1865.

“The work was put in 29 years ago when Juneteenth was first launched in Memphis,” said Franklin, who has led the festival for 10 of those years after the founder, the late Glynn Johns Reed, tapped Franklin to take the reins of leadership. 

“Since then, it’s been an arduous journey, but we kept educating people and building the brand to what it has become today,” she said. “It’s a labor of love and we’re still here celebrating our freedom.”

The Juneteenth celebration has expanded throughout the month of June with “Juneteenth: The Musical Stage Play,” slated June 10, 7 p.m., at The Pursuit of God Church, 3759 North Watkins. Tickets: $10 per person.

Chrysti Chandler is the artistic director. Ricky Floyd is the host pastor.

“Juneteenth: The Movie,” the first for the organization, will be showing at 7 p.m., June 15, at The Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Memphis.

A Community Baby Shower kicked off the schedule of events Sunday, June 5 at The Kent Memphis, located in the Historic Snuff District in Memphis. Attendees were privy to information on health and wellness for mothers and babies, breastfeeding, and free baby essentials. Lunch was served as well.

This year’s festival again takes place Father’s Day weekend, Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day at Health Sciences Park at 26 South Dunlap St. at the intersection of Madison Avenue in the Medical District.

The festival is free to the public.

On June 18, a youth showcase commences with high-stepping majorettes, drummers, dancers, and cheerleaders strutting their stuff – all in the name of Juneteenth. 

The day begins with a roster of singers and entertainers and ends with them. Look for the headliners whose artistry varies from rhythm and blues to gospel, from hip-hop to soul, and jazz too.

The list includes Keith Washington, Queen Ann Hines, Stacey Merino, Marquee of Soul, Men At Large, Mr. Sam, Joshua Rogers, and young talents such as local R&B singers Luvia Gwin and Cortney Boyland, also known as Cortney B.

Music is germane, of course, so is the food. Both are integral to the Juneteenth experience, including the relaxed ambiance of the park setting, Franklin said, where revelers congregate for fun, excitement, culture, and freedom, all to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

“We will have lots of food vendors and a marketplace for participants to shop for garments, jewelry, artwork, Juneteenth memorabilia, and more,” Franklin said. “There will be live entertainment on two stages and a Juneteenth outdoor museum as well.”

A Juneteenth Car Show will also be on display and revelers can take part in the Juneteenth 2.5 Run/Walk. (Two point five means it took 2 ½ years for slaves to realize they were free – from the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to that day in Galveston, Texas, where the slaves were notified that they were henceforth free.)

Also on that day, a Divine 9 Greek Step Show kicks off at 6 p.m. The high-stepping, high-energy routine performed by fraternities and sororities is the first for Juneteenth. Their display of handclapping, foot-stomping and spoken word is an artform and a staple among Greek letter organizations.

The celebration continues June 19 with the Memphis Juneteenth Official Flag Raising Ceremony and loads of entertainment, food and shopping vendors, for the entire family, Franklin said.

“This is the 29th year that Juneteenth is being celebrated in Memphis. And we will continue the cultural festival celebrating our freedom,” Franklin said. “In fact, it’s been 157 years since General Order #3 was delivered on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, announcing the end of slavery.”

For more information, contact Telisa Franklin at (901) 281-6337 or visit the website at www.MemphisJuneteenth.com.

With ‘RESPECT,’ 11-year-old could advance in Apollo competition

When AlexAnndrea Yohontas Simpson takes the stage at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York, on July 10, she could win the respect of the audience.

In fact the 11-year-old will sing “RESPECT,” Aretha Franklin’s signature hit song from the 1960s, and “put her own spin on it,” said Katrina Whitfield, AlexAnndrea’s mother.

“She will be creative. She will make the song her own,” she said.

Eleven-year-old AlexAnndrea Simpson is
ready to audition for Amateur Night at the
Apollo in New York in April. (Courtesy photos)

Whitfield will be front and center at The Apollo Theatre for the Amateur Night competition to cheer on AlexAnndrea when she belts out her version of “RESPECT.” She’s her daughter’s most ardent supporter.

AlexAnndrea nevertheless remains confident using her voice to relate to the audience, to garner their respect, to kindle their emotions and to keep The Executioner from sweeping her off the stage.

“Being on stage gives me the confidence,” she said. “When you can take over the stage, you feel strong with emotions…and it makes me feel kind of powerful.”

AlexAnndrea will need that power to convince the tough and no-holds-barred audience that she is just that good. In fact, she has to “Be Good or Be Gone,” an edict of sort from the audience signaling who stays and who leaves.

Undaunted by the competition, AlexAnndrea plans to perform her very best under the circumstances. She’s not planning on getting swept off the stage. Instead, she said, “I want to take it to another level.”

The emerging singer, dancer and actress first auditioned in April in the Child Star category for Amateur Night at the Apollo. If she makes it past the curt audience on July 10, she’ll move to the third and final round on Sept. 27 for an opportunity to be the Grand Finale Winner and collect a cash prize of $5,000.

“Right now she’s on vocal rest,” said Whitfield, and added that AlexAnndrea’s diet has been changed to maximize her voice in order to beat the competition and win the audience’s approval.

“She’s ready,” her mother said.

Singing has always been a part of
AlexAnndrea Simpson's life.

Whitfield noted that AlexAnndrea has been ready for an opportunity of this magnitude since she first arrived in the world.

“She was born with it (innate talent),” she said. “She was humming songs before she started talking. I knew it before she came out because she had the cry of a six-month-old baby.”

It was a “soprano cry,” she added.

The household was conducive for AlexAnndrea’s arrival and her inclination to sing. “That’s all we do is play music. We don’t watch TV,” said Whitfield, mother of six daughters, all of whom are talented, and a son, James Whitfield, 27.

For example, Mariah Simpson, 21, sings, acts and dances; Jamesha Whitfield, 29, writes poetry; and Andrea Simpson, 17, will play Dorothy; and Shamiah Simpson, 19, will play Evilene in “The Whiz” on July 25 at the University of Memphis Rose Theater.

The sisters are behind AlexAnndrea 100 percent, said Whitfield, and added that Andrea Simpson will audition at the Apollo in September.

“She’s (AlexAnndrea) a natural. When I first met her at eight, I told her she was going to be a star,” said Chrysti Chandler, founder and artistic director of the Young Actors Guild (YAG), a nonprofit dance and theatre academy.

AlexAnndrea is one of Chandler’s prized students. “We provided vocal training,” she said. “I’ve worked with her for three years. She’s real good. She has a powerful voice…that raspy soul voice.”

Chandler also taught her about the importance of stage presence.

“I feel lucky to be there (at YAG),” said AlexAnndrea. “Ms. Chrysti puts me on the spot and I thank her. She pushes me to sing and sing out on stage.”

 Whitfield said her daughter has an old spirit. “She listens to Aretha Franklin, Frank Murphy, Yolanda Adams, Fantasia, and, of course, Beyoncé. But she is drawn to ‘Old School’ music.”

If AlexAnndrea’s voice were compared to another singer, it would be the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, a gifted jazz singer once referred to as the First Lady of Song and the Queen of Jazz.

“I like her voice; I like her music,” said AlexAnndrea, who has an affinity as well for gospel music, up-tempo songs and the classics.

While AlexAnndrea is honing her skills as a singer, she hasn’t neglected school. She had a 4.0 GPA at Vision Preparatory Charter School in South Memphis and will start the 2019-2020 school year as a sixth-grader.

Before graduating Vision Prep, AlexAnndrea had divided her time between school and practice. “I’d go to school, come home and do my homework, and practice my singing from seven to nine.”

Memphis is known for its hotbed of talent the world over and now serves as a launching pad for AlexAnndrea. Born in Alabama, the family moved to the Bluff City from Detroit in 2011.

Now Memphis is home.

“My mom and dad moved to Memphis in 2008,” said Whitfield. “He was diagnosed with Parkinson in 2010. So I came here to help them out.”

She fell in love with Memphis and found the right people at the right time to help prepare AlexAnndrea for the big stage.

“It’s the rich history, the ‘Old School’ music, and the weather,” said Whitfield, confident that her daughter’s talent will lead to the caviar of entertainment success some day.

Amateur Night at the Apollo could be that barometer – if The Executioner doesn’t sweep her off the stage.

Chrysti Chandler plans new home for the Young Actors Guild

The advance students of the Young Actors Guild performed at the April 4th
Foundation's 19th Annual Commemorative Awards. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

Chrysti Chandler stood in the back of the room and looked on approvingly while her young dance troupe was performing at the April 4th Foundation’s 19th Annual Commemorative Awards at the Hilton Hotel in Memphis.

This was one of the dance troupe’s finest moments and more than entertainment filler on the program that evening. It was symmetry and poetry in motion. Their precise moves were imbued with the spirit of the ancestors.

“I think they did a great job,” said Chandler, basing her opinion on the applause from the audience and numerous positive comments that were posted on social media platforms.

The venue was one of many for Chandler that showcases the talent and creativity of the members of the Young Actors Guild (YAG), a nonprofit dance and theatre academy she founded 28 years ago.

Chrysti Chandler is the group's founder and
artistic director. (Photo by Sabrina Norwood)

YAG Community Arts is located at 619 North Seventh St. in Memphis. There are two satellite locations: 1926 First Commercial Dr. N. in Southaven, Miss., and 1391 Ferguson St., also in Memphis.

YAG has performed at hundreds of venues in the Mid-South and before prominent individuals since its inception. The impact that YAG has had in the community has touched over 10,000 youth, according to the group’s website.

In 2021, Chandler will be preparing to move YAG’s complete operation into the old Memphis Fire Station No. 22 at Lamar and Pendleton after the building is converted into studio and dance spaces.

The building will be christened the Harriet Performing Arts for Children.

“It will be named after Harriet Tubman (the abolitionist who freed more than 300 slaves),” said Chandler. “We’re planning to break ground in six months and complete it in the next two years.”

There will be space for artists to practice their dance moves and a lobby as well. “I don’t know the seating capacity right now,” she said, adding: “We will do workshops so they (youth) can do their own work on stage.”

After the “Harriet” is up and fully operational, Chandler plans to teach youth to develop, direct and produce their original plays. She wants them to learn the full gamut of production.

“Our hope is to bring in tourists so they can see the talent that we have in Memphis,” she said. “We will have other ongoing productions, but this will be coming from Memphis’ own playwrights.”

If the “pieces” are good enough, Chandler plans to enter them into festivals. She is confident that her group can measure up in talent and creativity, no matter the age bracket.

Alexandria Edwards, for example, is proof that Chandler’s performing arts group can move up to the next level. The 15-year-old breezed through the monologue at the awards program with passion and emotional fervor before the entire group started moving to the music and rhythm of gospel artist Kurt Carr’s “For Every Mountain.”

Alexandria is one of 150 kids that Chandler is training at the dance and theatre academy. “They come from everywhere,” she said, even as far away as Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta, when the summer camps convene.

Three of her students, she pointed out, auditioned in California and were accepted into the Debbie Allen Dance Academy Summer Intensive in Atlanta. Others have gone on to realize varying degrees of success.

In 2006, Gideon McKinney made it as a semi-finalist in Season 5 of “American Idol” before he was eliminated. In 2013, Kris Thomas, also a singing phenom, competed in Season 4 of “The Voice.” And in 2018, Gideon’s younger sister, Evvie McKinney, won the first season of “The Four: Battle for Stardom.”

“I trained them all,” said Chandler, who performed her first play, “Little Red Riding Hood,” when she was just 5 years old in the back yard of her mother’s home in South Memphis.

She converted the patio into a stage. The audience, she said, filled up the backyard. Many of them arrived from Glenview, Castalia and other neighborhoods in South Memphis. Her creativity was just beginning to blossom at that tinder age.

“The arts kept me alive,” she said. “That was my escape.”

Chandler’s group is scheduled to perform a tribute to Michael Jackson, “To Michael With Love,” on May 4, 6 p.m., at the University of Memphis Rose Theatre. This is another opportunity for them to show their teacher and trainer that they are ready for the big stage.

For more information about the Young Actors Guild, call 901-240-2103 or 662-536-6122. A capital campaign is underway to help transform the firehouse into the Harriet Performing Arts for Children. Contact Sabrina Norwood at 901-240-2103 for details.