Duluth – Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story

In 2021, Juneteenth was written into law as a national day of observance, yet many people are unfamiliar with its meaning and the insight it offers in addressing current social injustice. Minnesota Humanities Center is honored to collaborate with Duluth Public Schools, Sweet Potato Comfort Pie and the greater Duluth community to bring the significance of this day to life.

Kumbayah The Juneteenth Story, written by Rose McGee, is a 90-minute two-act dramatization of a traumatic time in our history – when news was deliberately withheld that Black people were no longer enslaved in this country. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting. The story begins with a Prologue set in the early 1800s in a small West African village where a young mother and her small son are being abducted from their home by slave catchers. Act One: Scene One is set in present time in a popular North Minneapolis soul-food restaurant where a group of youths and adults ultimately end up discussing what Juneteenth means. Before long they all agree to attend a play about Juneteenth. The story then shifts into 1863 on the Turner Plantation in Tyler, Texas with the character Frederick Douglass as Narrator.

Although interpretation is best suited for ages 8 and up, children of all ages are welcome to attend. Stay for a post-show discussion with the cast moderated by Carl Crawford from the Duluth Office of Human Rights.

Open seating will begin at 6:45 p.m. The show will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.

Registration

The performance is free to attend but registration is required in managing seating capacity.

Open seating will begin at 6:45 p.m. The show will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT HAS CLOSED