Carnegie Hall and Healing of the Nations Institute Present Annual Juneteenth Celebration

On Monday, June 19, at 7:00 p.m., the Healing of the Nations Institute of the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference in association with Carnegie Hall will present a free, annual Juneteenth Celebration event in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Juneteenth honors the beginning of our nation's true independence-the freedom for all members of the reunited nation after the American Civil War. More than 400 years after the first enslaved African people were brought to the North American colonies, the fight for justice and equity continues. For a fifth consecutive year at Carnegie Hall, the Juneteenth Celebration recognizes this historic day, while acknowledging the long road that still lies ahead.

Hosted by Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister Emeritus, Riverside Church & President and Founder, Healing of the Nations Foundation, and featuring Rev. Mark A. Thompson with a Statement of Occasion, this powerful event of commentary and performance features special guest artists including 10-time Grammy Award winning a cappella group Take 6, pianist Joseph Joubert, dynamic trio The String Queens, intergenerational vocal ensemble Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble, critically acclaimed dance company Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Academy and Grammy Award-nominated youth ensemble IMPACT Repertory Theatre Performance Company, and the Poet Laureate of the 2023 New York State Gubernatorial Inaugural Ceremonies Kayden Hern. Honorees will include distinguished human rights lawyer and activist Gay McDougall; influential leader and teacher of nonviolence Rev. Dr. James M. Lawson Jr.; and internationally celebrated human rights organization The Carter Center.

"In light of the polarization and division we see in our society today, we are at a point in history where an event like Juneteenth helps us recognize our unity amidst our ethnic diversity. We come together to remember the awful horrors of the past, but to indicate that this will no longer characterize us as a people. How blessed America is to have a national holiday commemorating freedom and justice at a time we so desperately need to renew our passion for democracy. Juneteenth is a God-given call to reclaim the true meaning of the American dream and celebrate a new future," says Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr.

Tickets for this year's celebration are free and will be available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street beginning on Thursday, June 8 at 11:00 a.m. There is a maximum of 4 tickets per person permitted at pickup. Inquiries about ticket availability can also be directed to CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. Tickets are also available online at juneteenthny.info. Group ticket requests can be arranged by emailing  richard.wicg@gmail.com.

About Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr.

Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. is the recipient of fourteen honorary degrees, including D.D. degrees from Princeton University, Trinity College, Colgate University, and University of Richmond. In 1996, Newsweek recognized Reverend Forbes as one of the twelve "most effective preachers" in the English-speaking world. Union Theological Seminary named him the first Harry Emerson Fosdick Adjunct Professor of Preaching in 1989, the same year he was installed as fifth senior minister of Riverside Church in New York City. His installment rendered him the first African American senior minister of one of the largest multicultural and interdenominational congregations in the United States. Following his address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, Forbes led an interfaith rally and demonstration at Riverside Church as part of the Church's Mobilization 2004 campaign. In 2007, he formed the Healing of the Nations Foundation, a non-partisan, non-profit, national ministry of healing and spiritual revitalization.

Program Information

Monday, June 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
All American Freedom Day: Renewing Passion for Freedom and Democracy

Rev. Dr. James A Forbes Jr., Host
Rev. Mark A. Thompson, Statement of Occasion

Take 6
Joseph Joubert, Piano
The String Queens
Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble
Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn
IMPACT Repertory Theatre Performance Company
Kayden Hern, Poet Laureate of the 2023 New York State Gubernatorial Inaugural Ceremonies

with Honorees
Gay McDougall
Rev. Dr. James M. Lawson Jr.
The Carter Center

Presented by the Healing of the Nations Institute of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference in association with Carnegie Hall.

Lead support for Carnegie Hall Citywide is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Hearst Foundations.

Ticket Information

Tickets are free and will be available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, beginning on Thursday, June 8 at 11:00 a.m. Tickets are also available online at juneteenthny.info. Questions about ticket availability can be directed to CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.