GUELPH – The Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) continues its #ChangeStartsNow anti-racism education initiative with the annual Juneteenth Celebration.
This year it will be on June 18 at 7:30pm at the Heritage Hall, 83 Essex Street, in Guelph, where GBHS will present Leslie McCurdy’s The Spirit of Harriet Tubman.
There are many plays about Harriet Tubman, but none share her entire life story like a visit with The Spirit of Harriet Tubman, organizers say.
McCurdy invokes the ‘spirit’ of Harriet Tubman as she portrays the life of the famous Underground Railroad conductor, recreating stories familiar, and some rarely told, using words said to have been Tubman’s own.
“Through it all we learn of the faith and conviction that drove Harriet Tubman to follow her dreams; the spirit of the past connecting with the present, inspiring her charges to have the courage to do the same in envisioning their future,” states a press release.
Juneteenth is a 156-year-old commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
It’s observed on June 19 to memorialize the day in 1865 when in Galveston, Texas, many enslaved Black folks were informed of the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
This official enforcement actually came late – well over two years since the signing of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
While Juneteenth marks a significant day in Black history and a day of remembrance, it is also an opportunity to honour and celebrate Black history, heritage and culture.
McCurdy was the recipient of the 2014 and 2000 Mayor’s Awards for “Artist of the Year” and “Outstanding Performing Artist” in Windsor, and has forged her career entertaining audiences internationally.
McCurdy obtained an honours bachelor of fine arts in dance, with a teaching certification, from the University of Michigan, before serving as choreographer and teaching assistant to Judith Jamison of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for several of her Detroit residencies.
McCurdy is also a successful playwright. She has written four, one-woman plays – three of which she performs by herself.
The #ChangeStartsNow initiative is an anti-racism project, aimed at preventing and responding to racism in Guelph and Wellington County.
This has been achieved by developing community resources and capacity to educate the community about racism, local Black history, and methods that members of the public can enact themselves to prevent racism and hate crime.
Proceeds from the Juneteenth Celebration will support the #ChangeStartsNow initiative.
Doors open at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20. To purchase tickets visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/344471021097.
