Juneteenth celebrations on both sides of the bay

The bay area recognizes Juneteenth this week with myriad events, including several that combine celebrations of both the holiday (on June 19)  and Pride Month (through June 30).

Juneteenth commemorates the day the Emancipation Proclamation was read aloud in Texas – the last of the Confederate states to eliminate the barbaric practice of slavery.

One year ago, on the 156th anniversary of the last African American slaves being freed in Texas, President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a recognized federal holiday.

In St. Petersburg

WMNF Presents a Juneteenth Celebration brings a funk/soul revue Soul Caravan (with Kenny Walker and Vincent Sims) to the Palladium Theatre Saturday, along with vocalists Theo Valentin, Rita Wilson, Tron Montgomery and Hiram Hazley, Tampa Bay spoken word poets and more.

Tickets for the 7-11 p.m. event are here.

“Shades of Pride: Juneteenth Celebration” is a free event from 2 to 9 p.m. on Sunday at The Factory St. Pete. LGBTQIA+ activist TS Madison, the first Black Trans woman to star in and executive-produce her own reality series (The Ts Madison Experience), is the emcee.

The panel discussion “The Legends Panel: The Intersection of Pride and Juneteenth” will spotlight key voices from the city’s Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ community.

Also scheduled to appear are DJs Supa Nova and Nightwing, Kiala Santi, Ashlee T. Bangkx and Miss St. Pete Pride 2022, Delores T. Van Cartier.

The Woodson Museum’s Jazzy Juneteenth Jubilee fundraiser, Sunday evening on the Mahaffey Theater outdoor plaza, is sold out.

At thestudio@620, the Green Book of Tampa Bay art exhibition The Journey to Emancipation continues through the end of June.

In Tampa

The Tampa Museum of Art’s first-ever Juneteenth Cultural Celebration takes place 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Included: Free museum admission, art-making activities, live music and performances, family portraits, food trucks and, yes, more.

Raymond James Stadium plays host to the Tampa Bay Area Juneteenth Festival and Celebration, co-sponsored by 95.7 The Beat, from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets, and additional information, are here.

“Paper Line.” Screengrab.

Writer/director Ryan Watson, whose The Ivory League: Confessions of a Black Faculty took Best Florida Film at the 2021 Sunscreen Film Festival, will be at the Tampa Theatre Sunday for the free 2 p.m. screening of his new short film, Paper Line. Featuring an all-Black cast, the locally-made film explores a subculture of martial arts in Black fraternities. The event begins at 3 p.m. with a martial arts demonstration.

Reservations are required (here).