Southampton African American Museum
June 18th & 19th, 2021
Juneteenth Weekend 2021 was an historic moment for the museum, and one that made a mark on everyone present. Our Grand Opening celebration started on Friday evening with a ribbon cutting and VIP event, and continued with a Juneteenth BBQ and walk-through with special performances and guests on Saturday!
Friday, June 18th
Our Friday evening event was attended by State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Suffolk County Legistators Bridget Fleming, Jason Richberg, and Robert Calarco, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren, Suffolk County Governor’s Office representative Theresa Santoro, architect and philanthropist Peter Marino, philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, architect Siamak Samii, and many distinguished guests.
The keynote speaker was Professor Quincy Mills, Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland, College Park and author of Cutting Along the Color Line: Black Barbers and Barber Shops in America.
Music was provided by flautist Dwayne Kerr, whose masterful mix of sounds and grooves is the memorable variable that makes him a rising figure in contemporary music today. His debut CD, Flutation is available now.
Our house band, Certain Moves Trio, kept the day lively and everyone entertained.
The day featured a performance by the all female barbershop quartet HALO, the first International African American Quartet competitors
Saturday, June 19th
Juneteenth saw our official opening, and an all-day celebration! A traditional BBQ, prepared by Heart & Soul Catering, kept everyone satisfied as they listened to a panel discussion featuring Professor Jennifer Anderson, Professor Mark Chambers, Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, and Keynote Professor Quincy Mills—moderated by our co-founder and Executive Director Brenda Simmons.
Photos © Patrick McMullen
