Telfair Museums presents its Tenth Annual Juneteenth Jubilee, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. The two-day event begins with a lecture, on Thursday, June 9 at 6 pm. The celebration culminates on Saturday, June 11 with a special performance by David Pleasant during Free Family Day at Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center for the Arts.
 
Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of its kind, and this year marks the tenth presentation of Juneteenth events at Telfair Museums. The event spotlights the Gullah-Geechee Culture of Savannah and the Lowcountry.
 
The 2016 Juneteenth keynote lecture will be given by Emory Shaw Campbell on June 9 at 6 pm at the Jepson Center. Campbell has appeared in many documentaries, news magazines, films and radio and television programs, including 60 Minutes; The Today Show; a PBS special, Family Across the Sea; as well as on C-Span’s Washington Journal. He wrote the guide book “Gullah Cultural Legacies” in 2002. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Governor’s Award for Historical Preservation (1999) and the Carter G. Woodson Award for Civil Rights by the National Education Association (2006). In 1999, he was inducted into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame. In 2010.
 
He is currently president of Gullah Heritage Consulting Service where he conducts institutes on Gullah cultural heritage and related issues through lectures, short courses and the Gullah Heritage Trail Tours on Hilton Head Island.
 
The Second Annual Juneteenth Artist of the Year Award will be presented to local artist Arthur “Artie” Milton. The award will be presented on June 9 before Campbell’s lecture. Milton is known for his portrait paintings and his portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. hangs in the Savannah Civic Center.
 
Celebrations continue on Free Family Day, June 11 from 1-4 pm with performances by featured storytellers, hands-on weaving and sculpting activities, music, and artist demonstrations by local artists honoring the Gullah-Geechee culture of Savannah and the Lowcountry. This year's event includes an opening ceremony at the entrance of the Jepson Center and performances by Jamal Toure and Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah-Geechee Nation.
 
At 3 pm there will be special concert by David Pleasant. Pleasant is a multi-faceted percussionist, rhythm effects vocalist, avant-garde performance artist, storyteller and lecturer who specializes in African-American traditions and the Gullah-Geechee culture. He uses an assortment of drums, cymbals, tambourines and marimbas, as well as body percussion rhythms of shout, juba, and hand jive in his musical performances.