Broadway celebrates Juneteenth with Black performers, culture and unity
TIMES SQUARE, New York (WABC) -- The Broadway community is coming together to honor the Juneteenth holiday with a free concert in Times Square on Thursday.
The event by the Broadway League's Black to Broadway initiative aims to honor Black artistry, culture and unity.
Juneteenth is an opportunity not only to celebrate, but to shine a light on the past, the present and the future.
The fifth annual concert featured an all-Black Broadway cast performing musical numbers.
Some of the greatest actors and cast members from 15 different shows performed.
"The diversity on Broadway right now is really great, if you look at the shows that are in theaters today, it's a great mix," said Kendra Whitlock Ingram with Black to Broadway.
RELATED | Juneteenth 2025: What's open and closed, including post offices, banks, and retailers
The goal of the Broadway League's initiative is to inspire deeper engagement with awareness of and access to the big stage for all Black people.
The event is free and this year it paid special tribute to Tony Award-winning actor, activist, educator and philanthropist Andre De Shields.
The Broadway legend just received the 2025 Juneteenth Legacy Award, acknowledging his more than five-decade phenomenal career.
He spoke with Eyewitness News to offer some pearls of wisdom to the younger generations.
"I'm hopeful that they'll stay on this journey and not buy into the usual reputation of young Black people," De Shields said. "If they stay in the arts, they will learn more about democracy, about plurality, about cooperation, about how to get along with your neighbor and how little the color of one's skin means in terms of personal success."
The concert was also a multigenerational event. Both Isabel Medina, who's now in "The Lion King," and Ethan Joseph, currently in "Gypsy," are part of "Young, Gifted and Broadway," a support group for children of color on Broadway.
"There's always more work to be done to level the playing field, but I think it's off to a great start and I love that Broadway League is a part of that," said parent Ava Joseph.
Among the various other Juneteenth events taking place in the Tri-State area, Rev. Al Sharpton and filmmaker Spike Lee held an event in Downtown Brooklyn to encourage New Yorkers to celebrate their freedom by voting.
The federal holiday marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were told by the Union soldiers they were free -- some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Click here for a full list of events happening in New York City.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
