June Jubilee: A Celebration of Black Excellence
June 8, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free shuttle buses will be available from select library locations.
Join us at the Second Annual June Jubilee: A Celebration of Black Excellence, a day of joy and inspiration with speakers, workshops, entertainment, and family activities.
From health & wellness to genealogy & technology to arts & crafts for all ages, there's something for everyone. The day starts with a water blessing and continues with performances by African drummers, choirs, and dancers.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate African American culture and contributions in a fun and welcoming atmosphere.
This event is free and open to all, so bring your friends and family along for a day of celebration and learning.
Schedule
Opening Ceremony: Celebrating the Past and the Future With a Steady Beat
Time: 9:45 a.m.
Location: Maguire Gardens
Leimert Park African Drummers and Dancers will kick off this year's Jubilee Juneteenth celebration with a procession and a libation ceremony to honor our revered ancestors. Then, enjoy an exhilarating West African drum and dance performance and workshop.
Pattern of Past: Afro-American Quilters of Los Angeles
Time: All Day
Location: First Floor Galleries
African American quilts are an expressive art form that gives voice to both the past and the present. The Afro-American Quilters of Los Angeles (AAQLA) will display their distinctive quilts, demonstrating the rich cultural heritage of quilting.
June Jubilee Crafts
Time: All Day
Location: Rotunda
Make a flower pencil, keychain, bracelet, bookmark, button, and June Jubilee trinket. There will be a grab-and-go puzzle and a twine letter craft to enjoy. Each colorful craft will keep the entire family busy, and a few crafts will keep families well-informed about impactful African American leaders. All supplies will be provided.
L.A. Zoo
Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Bradley wing Lobby
Learn how L.A. City residents can access free admission to the Los Angeles Zoo through the Discover & Go program and enjoy the bio-interactive display. Please note: there are no animals at today’s festival.
Job Fair
Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: LL1 Business & Economics Dept
Meet with employers who are looking to hire! Find out about State and City jobs. Bring your resume. Representatives from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, and PACE.
Faithful Central Choir
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Location: Mark Taper Auditorium
Join us as we bless our June Jubilee celebration stage with the anointed sounds of the Faithful Central Mass Choir, who will share a couple of powerful musical selections with us that will feed the soul with an authentic atmosphere of praise and worship.
A Visit With Children's Book Author Andrea J. Loney
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 noon
Location: Children's Literature
Andrea J. Loney is the author of many children's books, including the Caldecott Honor-winning picture book Double Bass Blues and the Lee and Low New Voices Award-winning and NAACP Award-nominated picture book biography Take a Picture of Me, James Vanderzee! Join us to meet Andrea and enjoy some of her amazing books.
Home Buyer Workshop
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 noon
Location: Singleton Adult Literacy Center
Don't miss the opportunity to start making strides toward purchasing your very own home during the Library's June Jubilee Celebration. Experts have gathered to educate attendees about upfront costs, how to create a budget, and the type of impact a credit score can have on a loan. There will be a Q&A portion of the workshop, and of course, you can ask your pressing questions. Remember, homeownership can be for everyone, and that includes you.
Poetry Workshop With Lynne Thompson
Time: 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Location: Literature & Fiction, Study Room 1
In this workshop, participants will read and discuss poets of the African diaspora and the ways those poets' craft of engagement and celebration can be applied in the participants' own work. Handouts for all participants will be available. Space is limited to 11 participants for each 75-minute session. Please email RSVP at fiction@lapl.org and specify the session.
One-on-one Genealogy Assistance
Time: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Carson Center for New Technologies
No need to RSVP: First come, first served. Members of the California African American Genealogical Society (CAAGS), the Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS), and independent genealogists will be here to help patrons with one-on-one genealogical research, with an eye towards helping you identify your enslaved ancestors.
Afrofuturist Ancestor Masks & Fan Making
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Octavia Lab
Join LA Commons in creating Afrofuturist Ancestor Masks and fans to uplift the rich visionary heritage of Octavia Butler. Participants will draw from seeds, plants, traditional Adinkra symbols, and futuristic components to create unique masks and fans that bridge the past, present, and future. LA Commons, a project of Community Partners, has worked in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles since 2003, facilitating artistic processes open to all that result in highly visible public art projects that tell dynamic neighborhood stories.
Bookplate Craft
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Rotunda
Patrons of all generations color and personalize bookplates with striking images of African-American visual culture from the Los Angeles Public Library's Special Collections, particularly the Brockman Gallery Archive.
Display: Artist Books by Black American Authors
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Rotunda
View the display of Tia Blassingame and other artist books by Black American authors.
June Jubilee Notebooks
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Atrium outside of Literature & Fiction
June Jubilee notebooks, ready to be decorated, will be available for patrons while supplies last.
Stay and Play
Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Thornton Courtyard
Stay and Play in the courtyards. Enjoy music, jumbo-sized games, cards, and other cultural activities outdoors.
Marcus Miller's Drums
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Maguire Gardens
Take part in an interactive drum workshop focusing on the importance of drums in our society, past and present. Participants are given the opportunity to express themselves on a percussive instrument. The goal is to get total group interaction and stimulate (non-verbal) communication so that we learn more about each other and our cultures through the experience of drumming.
Doll Making Workshop
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room B
Join us to create a hand-made doll. Once finished, you can keep your doll or donate it to the Dolls of Hope Project. This organization shares dolls with non-profit agencies worldwide that gift them to children in need, including youth living with HIV/AIDS. Don’t miss this impactful opportunity to smile or make someone else smile.
Melanated Jump Squad
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Maguire Gardens
Founders, Courtney Tell & Sharalle Horn created Melanated Jump Squad, a South Central Los Angeles-based Double Dutch squad, as an outlet for communities to channel their inner youth with fun and family to be mentally, emotionally, and physically well. Learn to jump, turn the ropes, or refresh your Double Dutch skills.
Teens Yoga & Meditation For The Soul
Time: 12 noon
Location: Teen'Scape
For ages 12-19. Instructor Trinika Jones will lead participants through yoga and meditation. Starting with a breathing meditation and then moving into yoga postures to stretch, breathe, and release participants into the present moment. Audience members will learn breathing techniques they can use anytime and anywhere, setting gratitude intentions for each day, mental discipline through challenges, and how to meditate. Please bring your own yoga mat and water.
Discovering Your Neighborhood With Kelly Wallace
Time: 12 noon - 1 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room A
Learn how to use Library resources to explore the history of where you live.
Healthy Meals With Soul
Time: 12 noon - 1 p.m.
Location: International Languages
Nutritious meals nourish and heal our bodies. Dr. Desmonette Hazly will teach the audience how to prepare healthy recipes to celebrate Juneteenth while exploring how different foods heal and maintain the body and the mind.
Face Painting
Time: 12 noon - 3 p.m.
Location: Maguire Gardens
Sparking Imagination Through Art! Join artist Marquita Jordan for this two-hour-long face-painting program. Marquita is an excellent artist and knows that every child loves dressing up and playing pretend.
Sunshine Storyteller
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Children's Literature
Tap into your imagination during the Library's June Jubilee Celebration with the Sunshine Storyteller, Ina Buckner-Barnette. Families will be encouraged to escape into an imaginary place where a story will come to life and have everyone glued to their seats. The audience will journey through the lives of vivid characters who face obstacles and learn valuable life lessons.
Urban Line Dancing
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Art Department
Wilbert McZeal will instruct a soul/urban line dance class with insight into the dance’s history and culture. Featuring soul, funk, R&B, gospel and hip-hop music.
Jungle Drum Circles With Chazz Ross
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Maguire Gardens
Travel through Chazz's whimsical safari with 26 African Djembe drums! You'll immediately create jungle sounds, play simple rhythms, and sing silly songs together! Upon his surprise ending – travelers call & answer – and discuss the amazing culture & benefits of drumming.
Home Buyer Workshop
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Singleton Adult Literacy Center
Don't miss the opportunity to start making strides toward purchasing your very own home during the Library's June Jubilee Celebration. Experts have gathered to educate attendees about upfront costs, how to create a budget, and the type of impact a credit score can have on a loan. There will be a Q&A portion of the workshop, and of course, you can ask your pressing questions. Remember, homeownership can be for everyone, and that includes you.
Buffalo Soldiers Presentation
Time: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room A
Join us for a presentation from Colonel Henderson about the legacy of the Buffalo soldiers.
We Tell Stories: Spirit of Black Folklore
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Mark Taper Auditorium
This performance explores the pride of heritage and a willingness to laugh despite the odds using folktales and literature from African and African American cultures.
Mind, Body, and Soul Revival
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: International Languages
Description: Dr. Desmonette Hazly will walk participants through exploring ways to nurture their whole selves and create a health and wellness plan that fits their unique needs. Learn to use exercise, stress management, sleep, and diet to improve and manage your mental and physical well-being and keep your spirit lifted.
Myth Making & Environment: Creation, Destruction, Futurity
Time: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room B
Join this workshop and use African and Caribbean mythology to analyze how different diasporic people have interpreted natural disasters and climate impacts for millennia and what we can learn from these myths. We will also look at the art of Eddy Kamaunga Illuga, whose imagery around colonization and the exploitation of African nations under capitalism and the climate crisis holds powerful insight for understanding how apocalyptic conditions have plagued the African diaspora in an anti-Black world. Students will leave the workshops with written drafts connecting ancestral knowledge to environmental futures.
Poetry Workshop With Lynne Thompson
Time: 2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Location: Literature & Fiction, Study Room 1
In this workshop, participants will read and discuss poets of the African diaspora and the ways those poets' craft of engagement and celebration can be applied in their own work. Handouts for all participants will be available. Space is limited to 11 participants for each 75-minute session. Please email RSVP at fiction@lapl.org and specify the session.
Stepping Stones
Time: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Mark Taper Auditorium
King Drew Magnet High School's Steppin' Stones is a talented youth group that gained much traction by performing at local venues and events. You don't want to miss the opportunity to participate in this rhythmic step show from your seat by clapping, snapping, and stomping your feet to the beat.
Stepping to the Rhythm of History
Time: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: Mark Taper Auditorium
Step into our June Jubilee Finale with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Get a chance to learn about the performers’ legacy and see an unforgettable step show that cannot be missed.