RECAP: Juneteenth Celebrations Plus More Produced and Curated by Gregory Burrus Productions

By Gregory Burrus | Posted Wednesday, August 4, 2021

In producing and promoting live music for Saturday, June 19th this year, there were street closings, art gallery receptions and, of course, the newly mandated holiday for Juneteenth. For many parts of this weekend, it turned into a Holiday Celebration. 

Juneteenth is Now a Federal Holiday

This past week, establishing a new federal holiday — effective immediately — caused some scrambling at courts, government agencies and businesses. As it was literally signed into law days before June 19th, 2021 to be a Federal Holiday, many did not know what it meant or that it was a holiday (see “Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, as Biden signs bill”). 

US President Joe Biden laughs with Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress as he signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, June 17, 2021 [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

US President Joe Biden laughs with Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Congress as he signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, June 17, 2021 [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

 

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is the holiday commemorating the end of slavery by marking the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free. Now, it's a federal holiday (read more here: “So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth”, New York Times). The move comes after growing support nationwide for observing the day of celebration and reflection. 

 

Local Celebrations of Live Music and More

For many of us, we celebrated by reflecting on the greatness of the day and celebrating, but not forgetting some of the recent injustices that still occur today. And for most people, they reflected back on years of struggle, from Angela Davis, Huey Newton and the Black Panthers. The creativity of all types of celebrations helps bring awareness to all that has and is happening. Here’s a look around my town.

 

Recap: Photography and Art

East Orange: Black Panther | Juneteenth Photoshoot

The Black Panther | Juneteenth Photoshoot held in East Orange, New Jersey!! Happy Juneteenth!! Photographer: @theseredmoments; Production: @talent.sunsetmodels

 

West Orange Arts Council — BLM Exhibit 

BLM Exhibit curated by Maria Estrella and Carol Jenkins.

BLM Exhibit curated by Maria Estrella and Carol Jenkins.

Maria Estrela and Carol Jenkins, both female artists of color from Essex County, have a personal connection to a new exhibit in West Orange. For Estrela, she said:

"I purposely utilize my skills to help Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) artists, who are underrepresented in the arts scene […] I feel it's important to raise awareness of the issues faced in their own communities including racism, discrimination, inequality and injustice."

Read more of what they said and all about the exhibit, here:  “For These Artists, BLM Exhibit In West Orange Has Special Meaning

 

RECAP: Live Music Bands Around the Towns 

Live Music Summary 

Here’s a quick recap of the June 19th live music weekend festivities.

 

Victor Jones Trio

Victor Jones Trio.png

We started off in Spiotta Park with world renown drummer Victor Jones with the Victor Jones Trio featuring Robera Piket & Shin Sakeino. The event was produced in association with the South Orange Village Center Alliance. The trio was just amazing to listen to and — an added bonus — it became a mini drummer reunion as drummers rule when Tim Horner, Tommy Campbell, Dorian McGee and many other Victor Jones friends from long ago came out to catch up and enjoy the music.  

 

Destiny Autumn — Music History

Another highlight was Destiny Autumn Tucker who came out and sang beautifully a song with Victor Jones. Then, Destiny Autumn educated us for the Juneteenth Celebration. She walked us through the history of Black Music and demonstrated various methods of communicating and clapping with us. We all enjoyed it tremendously.

 

Drum Circle

Drum Circle by Alison V. Brown and Friends for Juneteenth Celebration in Spiotta Park, South Orange, NJ .

Drum Circle by Alison V. Brown and Friends for Juneteenth Celebration in Spiotta Park, South Orange, NJ .

Aliison Brown orchestrated one awesome and very well attended Drum Circle with Yahya Kamate and Richard Reiter. As one drum master stated, “This was great, we didn't have to pull people out to play, folks just kept coming and participating."  Yes! The roar of the drums was intoxicating. We have to do it again.  

 

Cafe Word Bookstore 

Cafe Word Bookstore reported a wonderful celebration with Nia and Steve and Dance Master Susan Pope.

 

Harmonic Convergence Band

Shout out the Harmonic Convergence band. We tried to go on with another Summer Saturday live music event featuring Harmonic Convergence at the Grid Iron Waffle Stage, but the rain won out. This event will be rescheduled.

 

Lynette Sheard Entertainment

Lynette Sheard Trio with Brandon McCune and Marshall McDonald. BLM Art Exhibition in Juneteenth Celebration at the West Orange Arts Council located in West Orange, NJ.

Lynette Sheard Trio with Brandon McCune and Marshall McDonald. BLM Art Exhibition in Juneteenth Celebration at the West Orange Arts Council located in West Orange, NJ.

 

Food, Brews & Jazz with Jacque Harmon Johnson Quartet 

Food Brews and Jazz with Chef Jesse Jones and Jacque Harmon Quartet, with Rich Acciavatti, Gary Mancinelli, Richard Pierson, Ben Frank and vocalist Jacque Harmon Johnson in a Juneteenth Celebration at the Montclair Brewery in Montclair, NJ.

Food Brews and Jazz with Chef Jesse Jones and Jacque Harmon Quartet, with Rich Acciavatti, Gary Mancinelli, Richard Pierson, Ben Frank and vocalist Jacque Harmon Johnson in a Juneteenth Celebration at the Montclair Brewery in Montclair, NJ.

Food for the Soul, Tasteful Brews & Swinging Jazz at the Montclair Brewery with Chef Jesse Live - POW!!  What better way to celebrate Junteenth than enjoying Chef Jesse's modern approach to southern cuisine and his delicious delectable cooking. While sampling these soulful delights, folks explored some fabulous Brews of the Black Owned Montclair Brewery and of course listened to the original American music art form - jazz from the great American SongBook performed by the Jacque Harmon Johnson Quartet. Food, Brews and Jazz. A great way to spend an evening.

 

ZooS Band

ZooS Band with BJ Hermann, Pegaso Cris, Peter McClard at the Eastman Street Summertime Street Closing in Cranford, NJ. Produced by the Downtown Cranford Organization.

ZooS Band with BJ Hermann, Pegaso Cris, Peter McClard at the Eastman Street Summertime Street Closing in Cranford, NJ. Produced by the Downtown Cranford Organization.

 

South Orange Juneteenth Celebration

We outlasted the rain with poetry, spoken word and, of course, live music — all Emceed by South Orange Trustee Bobby Brown. It was very nice to see our younger folks keeping the cause and flame alive for true freedom.

 

Tonia Ray All Stars

Tonia Ray All Stars w Nicole Inocent, Norman Stevenson, Kenny Robinson AT Juneteenth Celebration ON Floods Hill in the Township of South Orange Village, NJ.jpg

Tonia Ray All Stars with Nicole Inocent, Norman Stevenson, Kenny Robinson performed at the Juneteenth Celebration on Flood’s Hill in the Township of South Orange Village, NJ.  Listen to a taste: 

 

MPACK Band 

MPACK Band with Clarence Conover, Patricia Walton, Glenn Merrit, Brett Calder, Kev Nazt Moore and Larry Greenberg performed at the South Orange Juneteenth Celebration at Flood’s Hill in the Township of South Orange Village, NJ.

It was  great to see, hear and enjoy the night's live music performances under the musical direction of Clarence Conover.  It was just fabulous as folks were dancing, jumping, singing and the camaraderie amongst everyone was just fantastic.  

 

The Fireworks in Flood’s Hill

The fireworks were a very, very cool unexpected touch, and they played out over the music, which was truly spectacular. It actually moved some folks in very touching ways. 

 

About the Artists

You can learn more about the artists who performed here: Celebrate Juneteenth with Us and Live Music Events In and Around South Orange, NJ .

Since my mission is supporting and exposing the talents of these artists, we hope you take the time to check them out and support them when you can. 

The events were produced in conjunction with:

  • South Orange Village Center Alliance, South Orange NJ.

  • Gregory Burrus Productions

  • Township of South Orange Village, South Orange NJ.

  • West Orange Arts Council, West Orange NJ

  • Montclair Brewery, Montclair NJ

  • Downtown Cranford, Cranford NJ

 

Gregory Burrus Productions

Gregory Burrus Productions was extremely happy to capture the day and also provide live music at various towns and venues around North Jersey. 

Gregory Burrus is a Photojournalist, Live Music Ambassador, Arts and Entertainment Writer, Blogger, Business Reviewer, and Community Events Reporter. He is a supporter of local businesses and community events, with a passion for live music. Gregory reviews and writes about local live music programs while booking, promoting and curating many regional live music events around the greater New York/New Jersey area. Having fun, living life, while helping others. https://gregoryburrusproductions.com

Extremely Successful Fundraiser Hosted by the Junior League of Montclair-Newark During Pandemic​

​​By Gregory Burrus | Posted Friday, March 5, 2021

2021-sleep-out-_get-the-word-out-with-gregory-burrus.jpg

Creativity as Described by Psychology Today

“Creativity encompasses the ability to discover new and original ideas, connections, and solutions to problems. It’s a part of our drive as humans—fostering resilience, sparking joy, and providing opportunities for self-actualization.  An act of creativity can be grand and inspiring, such as crafting a beautiful painting or designing an innovative company. But an idea need not be artistic or world-changing to count as creative. Life requires daily acts of ingenuity and novel workarounds; in this sense, almost everyone possesses some amount of creativity.”

I love this description by Psychology Today because whether you are a musician, an artist, homeless, a working adult or a young mom, you never know where or when homelessness may hit.  Some of us are fortunate and it never hits. For others it came at the most unexpected place or time.  The Coronavirus pandemic that has been with us for almost a year now came out of nowhere and boom, it hit each and everyone one of us across all industries and lifestyles.  

Coronavirus Is Fostering Creativity

sleep-out-covenant-house.jpg

Covenant House NJ

Services out there like Covenant House NJ provide shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless and runaway youth.  I had written earlier about the annual Sleep Out Fundraiser— Junior League of Montclair-Newark Host Homeless 2021 Sleep Out: Montclair Community Edition where I described the effort to keep what is usually a physical Sleep-OUT event going.  This event is important because Covenant House NJ teams up with many groups to help raise funds and hence depends on some very creative people to keep the mission alive.  

However, like life, the Coronavirus does not equally affect all of us the same, of course.  It hits ​some groups harder like ​the Gig workers, the single moms living paycheck to paycheck, the many who lost their jobs and found themselves on the street and, of course, the already homeless.  Many folks threw up their hands, stayed home, hid out and said, “I'll just wait out the Pandemic.” Others figured out what to do in the new normal.

Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc.

One very enterprising, very focused creative group is the Jersey League of Montclair-Newark, Inc. led by their President Heather E LeClair. Well, I am extremely happy to provide an update on the activities and results of this extremely powerful effort that has led to a very successful fundraising effort. Fundraising outreach efforts included getting the word out, and the JLMN was very proactive in using their social channels, along with news sites, press release announcements and, of course, audio and visual mediums.  

Mental Health Association in New Jersey

Mental Health Association NJ.jpg

The JLMN performed many activities, and one effort was the when Lynette Sheard, Director of the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, interviewed President Heather LeClair on the Sleep Out event, and we shared the results all around our towns for wider exposure. The fundraiser was successful, but the message of helping the homeless does not stop, and the message delivered still applies and lives on.  Listen to the energy, creativity and zeal behind the President of the Junior League and her passion in making this event a huge success to help those less fortunate.

Connecting the Dots Between Homelessness and the Young People in Our Communities

In 31 cities across six countries, Covenant House builds bridges to hope for young people facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking, meeting their immediate needs for food, clothing, protection, and medical care, and supporting them to advance their goals of education and employment.

Mental Health Association in NJ Discusses Mental Health Amidst a Pandemic for the Homeless and those in Foster Care

Homeless youth and adolescents are at increased risk of a number of mood, behavioral, and mental health disorders. A study published in August 2019 by the Homelessness Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern California (USC) indicates that homeless youth and adolescents are at increased risk of developing several types of psychiatric disorders and/or risky behaviors. There is no expert consensus on whether the presence of mental health disorders is the result or cause of homelessness.

Why and What Is A Virtual Sleep Out?

What is a Sleep Out? Sleep Outs are events that help Covenant House raise awareness about the problem of youth homelessness while raising critical funds needed to continue caring for the more than 3,000 homeless kids that come to Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ) each year in crisis.

Why Today's Situation Affects Our Youth's Mental Health​​

Evidence suggests that youth experiencing homelessness exhibit disproportionately high rates of mental health conditions as compared to their housed peers, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, suicidal contemplation, substance use, dissociative behavior, and conduct disorder (National Health Care).

What Is Covenant House NJ Nancy’s Place?

Located in Montclair, Nancy's Place provides single bedrooms for 8 young people, 24-hour support and supervision and individualized mental health treatment. Youth create a wellness plan addressing their physical, emotional, educational, employment, and spiritual goals.

What Does “Aging Out of Foster Care” Mean?

When a child in foster care turns 18, or when they graduate from high school, whichever comes first, they are usually deemed to have aged out of foster care. This means that they are no longer in the foster care system and are now solely responsible for their well-being.

How Does Someone in Need Learn about Covenant House Services?

Outreach programs consist of ads, social media and good old fashioned footwork to find and help the homeless youth sleeping under bridges, in parks, and more.

​You can listen to the entire interview ​by clicking this link.

Well, Success is Measured in The Results​ 

JLMN Presents collage.jpg

​As stated, Covenant House NJ requires physical and financial resources to help the homeless, those in foster care, and rely on individuals and groups to help them keep the mission of service alive and moving forward. ​Heather enlisted all of her resources, met with Covenant House NJ , talked with friends and family, and the Junior League of Montclair-Newark made it happen by raising over $100,000.

​Congratulations to The Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc. and all the members' truly outstanding job done.  ​

Gregory Burrus Community Advocate Reporter Writer.jpg

About the Writer, Gregory Burrus

Gregory Burrus is a Passionate Community Advocate, Reporter, and Writer about local events In and Around South Orange, NJ.​ ​Showcasing, photographing, videotaping events and happenings as they occur around town while living life every day to the fullest, my mission is to help my customers which are community groups, liv​​e music bands and local nonprofits reach their goals and accomplish their missions while enjoying the day to day process of life.​ Learn more at http://gregoryburrusproductions.com​.