June 17, 2016

Annual Sunrise Ancestral Remembrance of the Middle Passage


WHAT: Annual Sunrise Ancestral Remembrance of the Middle Passage, honoring the millions who perished aboard slave ships and those who survived to give life to future generations, free and open to the public; drums and musical instruments welcome, offerings of fruits, flowers, grains, and other appropriate items also welcome, to be carried out to sea.

WHEN: Sunday, June 19, 2016, 5:30 - 8:00 a.m. (similar to the Easter Sunrise Service tradition); Please arrive early to avoid lane closured for a cycling event that morning.  The date coincides with Fathers Day and with "Juneteenth" (commemorating the true end of legal slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865, when the last of the enslaved population, in East Texas, received word of Emancipation and the end of the Civil War).

WHERE: Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (Miami's restored onetime "Colored Beach" of the segregation era), 4020 Virginia Beach Drive, off Rickenbacker Causeway (toll road), on Virginia Key.  Turn left at second traffic signal, just before the Bear Cut bridge to Key Biscayne.

WHO: Open to all, though the main focus is on Native American and African American heritage.  Associated with no specific religion or ideology.  All traditions are welcome to participate positively in the tribute. (For further information, call 786-260-1246 or 305-904-7620).

NOTE: The celebration of Fathers Day and Juneteenth continues at the Park from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with the free AIR (Artist in Residence) Summer Breeze festival of music, food, and family fun.  (For information, call 305-960-4618.)


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