2022 Festival — Celebrate Juneteenth

About the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church: High praise is a natural part of the worship experience at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church. It has always been the vision of our Co-pastor, Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning, to include dance as part of the worship experience. Royal Priesthood Dancers and Drummers are the African component of the Liturgical Dance Ministry where Dr Grainger Browning is the senior pastor. Sister Joan Cambridge-Syers as part of the Ebenezer Rites of Passage Ministry founded the African dance component in 1990. The African Dancers ministered at the Rites of Passage Crossover Ceremonies, African Liberation Sundays and during a variety of worship experiences.

12:30 pm - 3:30 pm : The Sounds and Vibes of DJ M$NP

About DJ M$NP: M$NP is a DJ, creative, and entrepreneur, based out of Washington D.C. She spent her childhood exploring different communities around the world, and as a result, her eclectic musical taste is a reflection of her life’s experiences.

3:30 pm- 4:00 pm: Poet Brandon Johnson from the American Poetry Museum

About Brandon D. Johnson: Brandon D. Johnson is author of Love’s Skin, Man Burns Ant, The Strangers Between, and co-author of The Black Rooster Social Inn: This Is The Place. He is published in several print and online journals and anthologies. Brandon is also a photographer. Born in Gary, Indiana, he received a BA from Wabash College and his JD from Antioch School of Law. He lives with his wife and children in Washington, DC.

IN THE YINIBINI BABY STORE, Studio #17

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm: Meet Author & Poet Ruth Forman. Curls, Glow & Bloom Book Signing

About Ruth Forman: Ruth is a former teacher of creative writing with the University of Southern California and June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley, as well as a longtime faculty member with the VONA writing program. Also an MFA graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, she often collaborates on film, music, dance, theatre, art and media projects. She is currently a professor at the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. When not writing and teaching, she practices a passion for martial arts: classical Yang family style tai chi chuan, tai chi sword, and bo staff. Ms. Forman currently lives in the Washington, DC area.

About Curls: Grades P and Up. A joyfully poetic board book that delivers an ode to African American girls and the beauty of their curls.

About Glow: Grades P and Up. A joyfully poetic board book that delivers an ode to the beautiful light of African American boys.

About Bloom: Grades P and Up. A joyfully poetic board book that delivers an ode to African American girls as naturally beautiful in our human garden.

SCHEDULE AT THE PROGRAM TENT
11:30 am - 12:30 pm: Ages 5- 9 Picture Book Reading with Cynthia Dorsey, ‘All Different Now. Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom’, by author Angela Johnson.

About Cynthia Dorsey: Cynthia L. Dorsey is a multi-disciplinary artist with a desire to positively represent communities of color and other marginalized groups on stage and in film in a way that authentically speaks to their vast history and culture. As a writer her work has been featured in the Billie Holliday Theatre’s 50in50 Women Writers presentation as well as on the Netflix award winning podcast, Mortified. Some of her freelance writings can be found on the popular online lifestyle publication for Black women, Madame Noire, XoNecole, and on her personal blog site Confessions of a Purse Carrier.

About ‘All Different Now. Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom’: Experience the joy of Juneteenth in this celebration of freedom from the award-winning team of Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis.
Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the slaves in the South. Since then, the observance of June 19 as African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.

1 pm - 2 pm: How To Read a Label (Personal Care/Beauty), with Dr. Tayiana Reed.

About Dr. Tayiana Reed: As the founder and CEO of The Wellness Apothecary, Tayiana is a licensed clinical pharmacist and a wellness expert dedicated to curating affordable, clean, and natural health & beauty products to cultivate a holistic lifestyle.

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm: The Symbolism of the Juneteenth Flag with Levita Mondie

About Levita Mondie: Levita Mondie is a native of Memphis, Tennessee who has lived in the DC metropolitan area since 1993. Over more than two decades, she has taught every grade from 6th to seniors in college. Currently, she teaches history and literature to 7th and 8th graders at Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, Virginia. She is also a writer who has published pieces as a literary scholar, poet, and vegan chef. Most of all, she is the mother of two beautiful, creative, spirited daughters who are now college students.

3:30 pm - 4 pm: Color the Juneteenth Flag with Levita Mondie, for all Ages

Color the Juneteenth flag with Levita Mondie, or take one home to color later! Children must be supervised by an adult.