When local stage actor, performer and singer Eboni Muse decided to plan an art-based event tackling racism and systemic injustice, it all started with silence and big questions.
"Some organizations were not reaching out like they should have, especially in the arts community," Muse said. "A lot of us had been talking about why haven’t our theaters said anything? Why haven't our artists said anything?"
Social media brainstorming turned into taking matters into their own hands, and Muse and some friends conceived a sit-in/sing-in style event to commemorate Juneteenth called "Artists 4 Black Lives."
"We can have people come through and sit and sing, and the artists, the black artists come out and sing about their pain and their joy and their experiences with police brutality and systemic racism," Muse said. And, she added, it "took off from there."
Muse eventually built a team of volunteers to help her plan. They envisioned a small group of performers and musicians putting together a variety show, sharing works that would express how they felt about this historical moment.
Word got out, and the event has grown to a platform for more than twenty performers. They'll set up an outdoor space in Balboa Park near the Pepper Grove playground and Centro Cultural De La Raza on Park Blvd., with an art walk across the Laurel Street bridge.
The event is a peaceful demonstration, performance and protest, not a march. The group will ensure that they remain on public property, that they don't block any right or way or roadways, and that they remain an exercise of free speech.
They'll also have a booth to educate the public and share resources about Juneteenth.
Juneteenth commemorates when General Granger rode into Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865 to officially proclaim the end of slavery, even though emancipation officially took hold two years earlier in 1863, said Muse.
"Fourth of July is America's independence day, but Juneteenth is the independence day for black people," Muse said. "That’s why a lot of black people nowadays who have learned their history don't really celebrate Fourth of July as much as they used to." It’s not lost on Muse that white people across the country are more open to understanding and making space for Juneteenth this year. That something as drastic as the death of George Floyd had to catalyze this is frustrating to Muse. "But I believe that right now we are still moving forward, and what’s important is we continue to move forward," she said.
To share Juneteenth with the community in the middle of this uprising, Muse turned to art.
Muse said that art has always been a way to uncover meaning and learn about the world, and she truly thinks the deeper message in all art is what artists are called to do. "It's never mindless entertainment," she said.
With an art-based protest event, they hope to use art to spread a message of change, unity and love, and also something urgent and critical: "A message of I'm tired and I’m not gonna take it anymore," Muse said.
The group is also looking to lift up local black artists and voices in San Diego in a time when theaters are closed, performances are generally off the table, and art is relegated to online platforms. It's a tough time for artists to express themselves and find an audience, she said.
After George Floyd's death, Muse said that she disconnected a little, and wasn't creating art. But she pushed herself, because she knew that art would be a release and a relief, as well as a way for her to express what she's going through. She also saw amongst her community of artist friends who were creating art that she wasn't alone in her pain. She hopes Friday's gathering will help others feel less alone, too.
Muse will be performing "I Know Where I've Been," from the musical "Hairspray" — Muse won a Craig Noel award for her performance in "Hairspray" with San Diego Musical Theatre in 2018. Other performers include William BJ Robinson, Junkyard Crew and many more. The group hopes to make this an annual event.
Artists 4 Black Lives will kick off Friday, June 19 at 4:00 p.m. at Balboa Park. The event will be live streamed for those unable to attend.
