MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Sunday night will be an evening for the culture as the third annual TONE Memphis Juneteenth Festival gets underway in Orange Mound.
The festival sets the stage for Black advancement in the Bluff City.
“The festival is almost a representation of what can happen here every day,” TONE Executive Director Victoria Jones said.
It’s a celebration of freedom, and Memphis culture through music and the arts.
The nonprofit TONE Memphis is honoring Juneteenth with its annual Family reunion weekend.
This year’s theme “Revival,” is all about getting back to the roots.
“Anywhere Black folks are showing up telling stories we are at TONE, trying to find a space to achieve, platform and lift those voices up,” Jones said.
Jones tells Action News 5, that many are working to get their stories out through visual art, film, photography and music
Performers at this year’s festival include Erykah Badu, Memphis’ own Juicy J and Hitkidd along with Curren$y and a host of LOCAL artists.
“Wanted to encourage a Southern lineup overall,” Jones said.
“The opportunity to be where you think you want to be in your career is a lot closer,” Nia Hatchett said. And at home.”
Hatchett works with TONE, and says, this festival closes the gap between big and small artists.
She also says, doing it at home affirms what you believe you can do in your career.
“A lot of the artists have expressed that you have to leave Memphis in order to get opportunities that you think can elevate their careers, or just give them more opportunities,” Hatchett said. I just wanted to help create something that could do that here at home.”
Jones says TONE purchased the property where the Orange Mound tower sits in 2020.
She says, their nonprofit has big goals for the once-abandoned warehouse space.
They’re already working with developers to re-imagine the space left vacant and run down for years.
“We’re getting to imagine a new future for Black folks in a neighborhood like Orange Mound where the legacy of Black innovation, Black businesses owned and Black freedom has already been established and we can just keep building in that direction,” Jones said.
And while the one-day festival will have a major impact on the culture – their goal is to have a lasting impact on the Orange Mound community.
“We get told a lot about who we are and what this city can do,” Jones said. But, we have an opportunity to build out infrastructure and develop what we want to see for our future … in a space like this.”
The Juneteenth festival is Sunday, June 16 from 3 to 11 p.m.
Tickets cost $20. Click here to purchase.
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Check out was real simple, can't wait for the tote bag