Mountain State talent showcases Juneteenth Celebration

Juneteenth, according to Jill Upson, Executive Director of the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs (HHOMA), is a day of positivity and solidarity.

“This is an important day in our nation’s history, and we are proud to come together to celebrate the end of slavery and the beginning of true freedom for all Americans,” said Upson. “We look forward to welcoming families and members of the community to this wonderful event.”

According to Upson, the entertainment lineup includes varied West Virginia minority talent that might otherwise go unnoticed.

“We have a wonderful comedian who’s absolutely hilarious, his name is Kevin Jackson,” Upson explained. “We have spoken word artists and a child drummer.” There are also a few of rappers on the bill. “I believe it is a good representation of the various styles and genres of art that are available.”

Dru Hill, a Grammy-nominated R&B quartet, will lead the event. According to Upson, this is a reformed vintage soul group.

“They’ve done a lot of changes, specifically for their 25th anniversary,” she explained. “The entire group has reformed, including Cisco, who went on to have a very successful solo career.” He will be joined by original members SisQo, Nokio, Jazz, and the newest arrivals Smoke and Black from the R&B group ‘Playa,’ as well as previous members Scola and Tao.”

HHOMA is co-hosting the Juneteenth Celebration with FestivALL Charleston. More details and the whole Juneteenth 2023 entertainment programme may be found here.