Juneteenth 2025 Statement

Today is Juneteenth. This day commemorates the delayed freedom of Black Americans. Freedom that came years late, after white enslavers had already enjoyed two and a half more years of stolen labor after the abolition of slavery. 

Those in power continue to do everything they can to deny Black Americans full liberation. They will use words like “order,” “family values,” “returning,” and “restoring,” but there is no greatness to be brought back. A return to “traditional values” is a return to controlled bodies and crushed resistance. School curriculums are being gutted so the next generation never learns about Juneteenth, redlining, or why the Voting Rights Act mattered. State violence is expanding against anyone who refuses to perform obedience, even when their lives depend on it, and Black Americans are routinely subjected to the most cruelty at the hands of carcerality.

In the performing arts, we know that Black innovation is the blueprint. From drumlines to dance teams, and jazz to storytelling through movement; much of our art form was built on the contributions of Black artists, students, and educators. To our non-Black community members: today is a day of self-reflection. What part can you play in supporting the liberation of Black Americans in and outside of the marching arts? 

To our Black community members: your brilliance and survival are not up for debate. We celebrate you as creators, visionaries, and revolutionaries. We stand with you and will do everything in our power to hasten your liberation.