(George “G-Man” Waters has Jazzteenth at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront ready to make its debut)
Juneteenth in Hampton Roads
By Jerome Langston
Celebrating its sixth year as a federal holiday, Juneteenth — officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, will be feted throughout the Commonwealth, which is also celebrating Virginia’s iconic and essential role in America’s founding — the 250th anniversary this year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a heady time to be alive, despite the deplorable attacks on Civil Rights and hard fought for progress towards racial equality — seen in part by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority’s ruling that has further weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Still, I love the tagline of VA250, America made in Virginia. The Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission has tons of curated events tied to our country’s Semiquincentennial, and is promoting Juneteenth as well. And here in Hampton Roads, cities like Norfolk and Virginia Beach will celebrate Juneteenth for 3 days, as June 19th falls on a Friday this year.
The annual Juneteenth Norfolk celebration will feature concerts, special exhibits, an exciting fireworks display, and much more at the downtown Norfolk waterfront, inside Town Point Park, with various programming throughout the entire Juneteenth weekend. On Friday night, music performers will include headliners like soul music icon Patti LaBelle, and legendary R&B vocal group, Sister Sledge. Besides those main stage acts, popular locally based acts including The Fuzz Band, Roberta Lea, and Wike$ — all of whom have been recognized recently at the long-running Veer Music Awards, will also perform on various stages throughout Friday evening. Norfolk’s well-organized Juneteenth celebration will coincide with Sail250 Virginia, where Norfolk is the prestigious host city.
Across the water in Hampton, the historic arrival of the first Africans in English North America in 1619 is documented to have occurred right there, so Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, has very special significance for this consequential port city. Navigating Freedom: Celebrate Juneteenth Hampton VA250 Sail will occur at Fort Monroe on Friday the 19th. Music acts including Amerie and Musiq Soulchild will headline at the event, which will include cultural displays and vendors. There’s also A Juneteenth Pageant – The Play with performances at Hampton’s American Theatre on Friday and Saturday. And on Sunday, there is the fifth annual Juneteenth Jubilee, Celebrating Fathers and All Families, at Mill Point Park in downtown Hampton. Suffolk will have its own Juneteenth Festival on Saturday the 20th, while the city of Portsmouth will have its Freedom Day festival that Friday, at its own waterfront. Throughout Hampton Roads cities, many of these events are completely free and open to the public.
The most populous city in Virginia is, of course, Virginia Beach, and this year’s Juneteenth celebration will include programming at not only its popular oceanfront, but also at Mount Trashmore Park. The Juneteenth Stop the Violence Festival will feature rap legend Doug E. Fresh on Saturday the 20th at Mount Trashmore, with the event produced by L.A.M.B.S. (Love All My Brothers and Sisters) foundation, which has produced Juneteenth at the Beach since 2022. “The reason we decided to do Juneteenth Stop the Violence, is because we noticed there was a lot of violence going on in our community… We wanted to put a call to action behind our festival, and not just a celebration,” said L.A.M.B.S. president, David Israel Leader, when I chatted with him a couple days ago. On the actual holiday, they will host a Freedom Gala event at Kascades Lounge that Friday, as part of their Black Wall Street Vendor Market. And on Sunday there’s an event at Poolside Cooking Café. “We wanted to start off with black excellence, so that’s why we did the gala on Friday, to celebrate the holiday,” he added. The foundation is named after Cordaro “Lil Lamb” Simpkins, who at only 22 passed away by gun violence in the summer of 2011. David founded the nonprofit in his friend’s memory. Simpkins was already showing promise as a pro-boxer with multiple wins. “We focus on connecting communities through curated events, mentorship for the youth, and empowering them through fashion and technology,” said Leader, towards the end of our chat.
On Juneteenth Saturday, the first annual JazzTeenth Festival will provide live jazz and R&B performances at the Virginia Beach oceanfront, with vendors and art displays. Produced by G-Man Live, the free event is a Juneteenth cultural celebration that honors black cultural heritage and welcomes all to the city’s celebrated oceanfront. Earlier this year, George “G-Man” Waters was presented with an Industry Award at The NorVa, during our annual Veer Music Awards. His G-Man branded entertainment company has produced shows at major venues in RVA, North Carolina, and here locally, for national music acts like Keith Sweat, Ashanti, and Busta Rhymes. “I’m excited about bringing a different feel out there to the Virginia Beach oceanfront, when it comes to the type of celebrity that comes out there,” said Waters, a native of Hampton Roads, when reached by phone earlier this week. Headliners for JazzTeenth include singers Keke Wyatt and Vivian Green, as well as Richmond’s own Butcher Brown, a remarkable jazz-funk band whom I profiled years ago in Style Weekly. Besides the dope music — there will be panel discussions focusing on tech, financial literacy, and health and wellness topics. There’s also a series of events happening in the lead up to Saturday’s main event.
“I’m also excited about providing a platform for some of the local artists… the other entrepreneurs, and definitely the black businesses throughout the vendors…” George adds. He tells me that the city has been very supportive of him and this event since he landed the contract to produce it last year. “At the end of the day, give the community something safe, and something that they can remember, that they’re want to keep seeing.”