Times Square was packed with an enthusiastic audience and music for Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth on Sunday.
Brian Anthony Moreland has been at the helm of the celebration since it started three years ago, when Juneteenth became a federal holiday.
“It’s grace personified because everyone is gathering now to celebrate Juneteenth to think about what it means to be free, what it means for everybody every person to be free,” Moreland said.
What You Need To Know
- Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth held its third annual event Sunday
- Executive producer Brian Anthony Moreland hopes children see the representation and learn that they belong there too
- Holli' Conway-Fields said the performance is personal to her
- Conway-Fields hopes to see events like this “get bigger and bigger.”
The performances ranged from song to spoken word.
“When you can see yourself on stage or when you see yourself in any space you are looking to be part of, you have a direction, you have a goal, you have a north star,” Moreland said.
Besides the performances and celebrations, organizers hope the event ushers in the next generation of Broadway fans and performers.
Moreland started his career as a performer and now is an acclaimed producer.
He said the event and his success are measures that show young children in the audience they can take part as well.
“It says I belong there too, I can do that too,” Moreland said.
Rafael Clark was in the audience with his 3-year-old son Amir for the Sunday celebration.
“It is, again, a very special moment. We all have to know our history for the most part and being with my son, he is probably not going to remember it. We can look back into this memory,” Clark said.
Holli' Conway-Fields said the performance was personal to her.
“I hope people in the community learn to celebrate others. I want that to be the biggest take away. It’s Juneteenth, it’s Pride Month, we had Asian American Month last month. We have all of these celebrations that tend to get bigger and bigger every year and I’m hoping we can commit to that,” Conway-Fields said.
Audience members hope the event paves the way for more representation.
“There is a lot of underrepresentation in various performing arts organizations. So, to have this kind of collection of performers and the repertoire doing it today is important for me an as audience member to sort of ingest that kind of repertoire,” Jonathan Beyer said about the event.
A celebration and effort for more inclusivity on Broadway and in the audience.