Meet the musicians of Philadelphia's 17th annual Juneteenth Festival
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Plans are underway for the 17th annual Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival in Germantown hosted by Johnson House. The festival is scheduled for this Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.
Our House Culture Center in Germantown is always filled with artists and musicians ready to put on a show.
"We have Tony Day and his band Across the Globe," founder Courtney Chiles said. said. "They are an amazing jazz band. This is their second year performing with Juneteenth Festival. And we have Sinovia. Sinovia is a real soul, inspirational artist. She has a new album out and this is her third year performing with the Juneteenth Festival."
Chiles explains that these are not members of the same band. What you're hearing are individual musicians who are playing together for the first time to celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Freedom Day.
"The meaning of Juneteenth has become known to so many people," Chiles said. "It's so important for us to keep this going, for us to share everything that makes us unique. It's been an absolute honor for me these last six years to come on board, learn."
This artist learns from no other than Cornelia Swinson, the executive director at the Johnson House Historic Site, which was an Underground Railroad stop.
"Enslaved Africans could find a place to rest, to get something to eat and support and assistance on their way toward freedom," Swinson said. "The Johnsons were Quakers, and there were some Quakers, not all, that believed enslavement was wrong, slavery was wrong."
On Saturday, Cobblestone Road from the Johnson House to Our House will be filled with vendors, art culture and lots of food.
If you're lucky, you might even catch a smiling ballerina who can also reflect on our past and enjoy the celebrations that mark the end of one of the darkest moments in history.
