In New York City, A Juneteenth Event Examines The Meaning Of Freedom

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The U.S. Congress this week established Juneteenth, a commemoration observed in communities and cities across the country for more than 150 years to mark the day slaves in Texas were informed of their freedom, as an officially recognized federal holiday. Celebrations being held all over the country on June 19 likely will assume an added sense of occasion. In one such event, happening at Lincoln Center in New York City, a starry group of Black artists will present an outdoor event that not only marks the day, but also examines the very idea of freedom itself.

Carl Hancock Rux, a poet, author, playwright, actor and musician, conceived and curated the event, called I Dream a Dream that Dreams Back at Me. He says he has complicated feelings about the holiday, traditionally celebrated with hot dogs, firecrackers and music.

"Juneteenth... it's like these enslaved people who shouldn't have been enslaved in the first place, and then they finally get the information that they're free," Rux explains. "And now, where do they go? There's no program set up for their freedom, there are no institutions that are set up for their freedom. There's no land, even though it's promised, given to these people for their freedom. There's no housing for them to go to. That is painful to me—I mean, that hurts."