Press Release MALCOLM X MEMORIAL JUNETEENTH JAZZ & ARTS FESTIVAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (8/30/09)
Contact: Rev. Ronald V. Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
662-247-1471 662-247-3364
e-mail: MyersFound@aol.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
Ms. Willie Williams, Director
Nebraska Juneteenth Committee
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF)
402-594-6695
e-mail: coalitionminorityparents@yahoo.com
web site: www.JuneteenthNebraska.com
3rd Annual Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
Honors the Late Milita Hill
Alvin Carter Featured Artist At
Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival
2010 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 3rd Annual Omaha Malcolm X Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival, hosted by the Juneteenth Nebraska, Inc., on Sunday, June 13, 2010.
"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 5:00pm - 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. and the grass roots effort to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday observance in Nebraska.
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 was successful in working with
Ms. Willie Williams, Executive Director of Juneteenth Nebraska, Inc.,
and State Senator Brenda Council to establish Nebraska as the 30th state to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday
observance in 2009.
Juneteenth is officially recognized
as a state holiday observance in Nebraska, joining a total of 31 states and the District of Columbia in the recognition of
America's 2nd Independence Day.
The festival is 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. Dr. Myers will be joined by Cuban percussionist Earlton
Batles Manley, Mississippi native percussionist Wilton Knott, along with jazz drummer and percussionist Aye Aton, formerly with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra, with bassist Derrick Brown.
The festival will also feature a special Juneteenth Art Exhibit by National Juneteenth Visual Artist, Alvin Carter.
An opening Juneteenth Art Exhibit is scheduled for 5:00pm and a Juneteenth Arts Reception, both featuring several original paintings by 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 Ms. Willie Williams 402-594-6995, e-mail: coalitionminorityparents@yahoo.com or Dr. Ron Myers at 662-247-3364 or e-mail: MyersFound@aol.com or web site www.Juneteenth.us, www.JazzNebraska.com or www.JuneteenthNebraska.com.
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