Elegba Folklore Society will present Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration 2010 on June 19, 2-11 p.m. The theme is Independence! Freedom Stories in Ghana and Virginia.

Programs will begin at 3:00 p.m. at the historic Manchester Dock, a port of entry in Richmond for Africans being brought into the Americas to be sold into slavery, and will include performers, speakers, vocal ensembles, and dance. This is a family event, and admission is free!

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration 2010 welcomes His Excellency, Mr. Daniel Ohene Agyekum from the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Washington D.C. and Ashanti priest, Nana Kwabena Faheem Ashanti. The Bright Butterflies, ages 2 - 4 years old will present black history vignettes and song, and the Richmond Youth Jazz Guild will perform, along with numerous other groups. The Freedom Market will feature food, information exhibits, imports, and special activities for children.

The day's celebration will culminate with the the Annual Torch Lit Walk on the Trail of Enslaved Africans, about 8 p.m. led by Elegba Folklore Society's performers with African dance and music and staged interpretations from Manchester Dock to Shockoe Bottom (16th and Broad Streets) at the sites of Lumpkin's Jail and the Burial Ground for Negroes.

Complete program details for Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration 2010 are available at www.futureofrichmondspast.org .

Getting there:

The Manchester Dock is on the south side of the James River at the end of Maury Street. See farther below for directions to Manchester Dock.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:

Juneteenth, a Freedom Celebration 2010 Independence! Freedom Stories in Ghana & Virginia

2:00 African Dance Community Class

3:00 Welcome

3:15 Legacy of Weyanoke

3:45 Native American Land Blessing

4:00 Bright Butterflies

4:30 Richmond Youth Jazz Guild

5:15 Plunky & Oneness

6:15 His Excellency, Mr. Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Nana Kwabena Faheem Ashanti and Dr. Shawn Utsey

7:00 Elegba Folklore Society

African Dance, Music & the Oral Tradition give a cultural context for history

8:00 Torch Lit Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans

11:00 Ancestral Ceremony at the African Burial Ground (Burial Ground for Negroes)

DIRECTIONS TO MANCHESTER DOCK

From I-95 South: Exit at #73, Maury Street. At the bottom of the ramp turn right. This is an industrial area. Continue just a few blocks up and over the big railroad tracks. Drive through the opening in the floodwall. When you come to the fork in the road, bear left. The road will curve and be intersected by a smaller railroad crossing. As you enter the parking area, bear left and park.

From I-95 North: Exit at #73, Maury Street. Follow the directions above.

From I-64 West: Exit at #190, I-95 South and 5th Street. Follow I-95 South. Exit at #73, Maury Street. Follow the directions above.

From I-64 East: I-64 merges with I-95 South. Follow it and exit at #73, Maury Street. Follow the directions above.

Local: Access Southside via the Manchester Bridge; turn left on Maury Street. From the 14th Street (Mayo) Bridge, turn left on E. 3rd Street, cross several blocks and turn left again on Maury Street. Follow the directions above.

The Future of Richmond's Past Leadership Team:

Edward L. Ayers, University of Richmond; Steve Baril, Williams Mullen; Viola Baskerville; Janine Bell, Elegba Folklore Society; Jack Berry, Richmond Convention & Visitors Bureau; Jack Berry, Venture Richmond; Christy Coleman, American Civil War Center; Ana Edwards, Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project; Maureen Elgersman Lee, Black History Museum and Cultural Center; Robert Grey, Hunton & Williams; Paul Levengood, Virginia Historical Society; Bill Martin, Valentine Richmond History Center; Delegate Delores McQuinn, Richmond Slave Trail Commission; Claude Perkins, Virginia Union University; Michael Rao, Virginia Commonwealth University; Waite Rawls, The Museum of The Confederacy; David Ruth, Richmond Battlefield National Park and Maggie L. Walker Historic Site; Kim Scheeler, Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce; and Sandra G. Treadway, Library of Virginia.