Junebug Productions Releases 'Black Back' Video Montage in Celebration of Juneteenth

Junebug Productions, a 40-year-old local and national leader in Performing Arts, is pleased to release a poem from its iconic Gomela production - "Black Back." Written and performed by poet Sunni Patterson, "Black Back" inspires the healing and return of black love and black joy in America.

Watch the video HERE.

Before the travel and social distancing restrictions that came as a consequence of the novel COVID-19 pandemic, Junebug Productions was slated to showcase Gomela live in Brooklyn, NY, on Juneteenth in collaboration with 651 ARTS, Hi-ARTS, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden. As a result, the performance has been rescheduled to June 19, 2021, with more details forthcoming.

"While we were unable to showcase Gomela live on Juneteenth as originally planned, it is my hope that the release and viewing of "Black Back" will inspire the healing and return of black love and black joy in America during a time that has been fueled by our continued fight for social justice and equality," said Junebug Productions' Executive Artistic Director, Stephanie McKee-Anderson.

Directed by Stephanie McKee and developed by dancers Kesha McKey, Kai Knight, Jeremy Guyton, poet Sunni Patterson, and drummer Jawara Simon, Gomela takes viewers on a journey through time and space. Making evident the connection between Africa, Haiti, and New Orleans, Gomela highlights the vibrant and percussive movements and stories that breathe life into ancient African dance and drumming and contemporary artistic expression. It illuminates Place Matters - the gentrification and the Right of Return of New Orleanians displaced after Katrina; and Black Lives Matter - the beauty and resilience of black people, past and present.