Press Release MALCOLM X MEMORIAL JUNETEENTH JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (5/22/11)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
662-247-1471 662-247-3364
e-mail: JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com
web site: www.Juneteenth.us
www.JazzMissouri.com
www.JazzNebraska.com
John Thompson, Executive Producer
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP)
Juneteenth America, Inc.
909-268-7104
e-mail: johnharold@juneteenthamerica.us
web sites: www.JuneteenthJazz.com
www.JuneteenthAmerica.us
Merritt Smith, Music Director
Omaha Juneteenth Celebration
Juneteenth Nebraska, Inc.
402-213-3495
e-mail: bramani55@msn.com
web site: www.JazzNebraska.com
2011 International Juneteenth Jazz
Concert Series Honors Omaha's Preston Love
4th Annual Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Honors the Late Milita Hill
2011 Black Music Month
Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
(Omaha, Nebraska) - Omaha's rich black jazz heritage and legacy will be celebrated during the 4th Annual
Omaha Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival, hosted by the
Juneteenth Nebraska, Inc., on Sunday, June 12, 2011.
"Celebrating Juneteenth Jazz", during Black Music Month,
"Preseving Our African-American Jazz Legacy", the festival, sponsored by the
National Association of Juneteenth Jazz Presenters (NAJJP), is scheduled to take place at
Love's Jazz and Arts Center, 2510 N. 24th Street, from 6:00pm - 9:00pm.
The festival will include a special "Juneteenth Jazz Tribute and Memorial to Milita Hill", the late Founder and
Executice Director of Juneteenth Nebraska, Inc. who lead a successful grass roots effort to
establish Juneteenth as a state holiday observance in Nebraska in 2009.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when slaves in the last geographic area in America where slavery existed learned of their freedom. This took place on
June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, when Union General Gordon Granger read
General Order #3, announcing that "all slaves are free" by Proclamation of
President Abraham Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham
Lincoln on September 22, 1862, and issued on January 1, 1863. It took over two and a half years for the news to travel to southwest Texas.
The National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign is working with Ms. Willie Williams, current
Executive Director of Juneteenth Nebraska, Inc., to establish
Juneteenth Independence Day as a National Holiday
Observance, like Flag Day or Patriot Day. A total of 39 states, most recently Nevada, the District
of Columbia and the U.S. Congress to recognize America's 2nd Independence Day.
The festival is especially in honor of the late master jazz saxophonist and Omaha native,
Preston Love.
The festival is named in recognition of Omaha native and one of the greatest progressive black leaders in American history,
Malcolm X.
"Omaha has a rich black jazz and Juneteenth historic legacy," states
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) and the
National Juneteenth Holiday Campaign. "The preservation of that legacy through memorializing
Preston Love in the hometown of
Malcolm X is why the annual Malcom X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival will be taking place every year."
The festival's featured artist will be accomplished jazz pianist and trumpet player,
Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D. A modern day renaissance man, Dr. Myers is a minister, physician and
jazz musician, and the National Juneteenth Jazz Artist. Joining Myers on alto saxophone will
be Omaha's own
Merritt Smith.
The festival will also feature a special Juneteenth Art Exhibit in
honor of the late National Juneteenth Visual Artist,
Alvin Carter.
An opening Juneteenth Art Exhibit is scheduled for 6:00pm and a Juneteenth Arts Reception, both featuring several original art prints by
the late Alvin Carter, will take place at 6:00pm, with a concert featuring
Ron Myers beginning at 7:00pm.
Information about the festival can be found at www.JazzNebraska.com or
www.JuneteenthJazz.com. Also contact Merritt Smith 402-213-3495, e-mail:
bramani55@msn.com or Dr. Ron Myers at 662-247-3364 or e-mail:
JuneteenthDOC@yahoo.com or web sites
www.NationalJuneteenth.com -
www.JuneteenthNebraska.com.
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