With Juneteenth just around the corner, I recently had the opportunity to speak with ABC 7 Chicago’s own Cheryl Burton and Terrell Brown regarding their upcoming Juneteenth special Our Chicago: Freedom Music, which will air on Sunday, June 18th at 4:30 PM and again at 11:00 PM, on ABC 7 and online at ABC7Chicago.com, as well as on ABC 7’s connected apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. Read on to see what they had to say about how the program came together, how the holiday became a Federal holiday, some of the ways in which the holiday is celebrated around the country and more.
Andrew DeCanniere: To begin at the beginning, I was wondering what the story behind the story may be. How did the program come together?
Cheryl Burton: Well, you’re familiar with Juneteenth. In 1865, there were 250,000 enslaved Black people who finally got the message that they were freed. The Emancipation Proclamation had already been signed and that marked the end of slavery. Some enslaved people in Texas, however, didn’t get the word. On June 19, 1865, it finally made it when some soldiers made their way to Galveston and informed them that they were free.
So, it’s a day of celebration and of honor — a day to recognize and acknowledge. It is now, after many years, a Federal holiday. The grandmother of the movement, Opal Lee, kept fighting for it and kept it alive. She’s 96-years-old and she lives in Texas, and it is now a Federal holiday because of all of her hard work. They call her the “grandmother of Juneteenth.”
Terrell Brown: What I think is amazing is that you go back to slavery, you go back to Galveston, Texas in 1865, when the westernmost slaves in the United States found out that they were free, and you think about what that moment must have been like, and all of the uncertainty in the days and the years to come, but somehow, in 1866, those same people managed to have a celebration. And they did it again the following year, and the following year, and every single year up until now there has been a Juneteenth celebration. So, it started with those people, and now we are talking about something that is a state and a national holiday. It’s amazing for the trajectory to begin there, and for it to end in the holiday as we observe it today.
DeCanniere: And I think that certainly serves as a wonderful example of the impact that one person can have as well, just by getting involved and advocating for something they care passionately about, as Opal Lee did.
Burton: Absolutely. That is definitely a lesson and an inspiration. That is definitely glory for anyone who doesn’t believe that they’re enough and who doesn’t believe that their words have power. Of course, now the holiday is celebrated all over the United States.
People celebrate it differently. It depends on how you were raised and on what region of the country you live in. Some people have gatherings and they have religious ceremonies. Some people have backyard cookouts. That is one of the popular ways, because the history of the celebration is that is how it started. There was lots of food and celebration and music. Music was a huge part of the Juneteenth celebration before it became a very well known day. Music and the beat of the drum goes all the way back to Africa, where music originates — from that single beat of a drum. It helped people who were enslaved learn about the soul of what is possible through the beat of a single drum. In this special episode that we’re doing, Our Chicago: Freedom Music, we are celebrating music — several genres of music — and how music can stir your soul and inspire movement. We talk about blues, hip-hop, Gospel music, spiritual music.
I interviewed 93-year-old Rodessa Barrett Porter. She is the youngest member of Grammy Award-winning group The Barrett Sisters — queens of Gospel music. The sisters — three sisters from Chicago — started out in high school, singing back-up for some of the most famous Gospel groups in the world. Then, they put their own Gospel group together. I sat there and talked with Rodessa. She still plays the piano at 93-years-old, singing her favorite song, which she said got her up everyday on the darkest times. “Because He Lives” is her favorite song. “…And because He lives, I can face tomorrow,” is the lyric. That is one of the highlights of this half-hour special we’re doing.
I went to her home, and it is like a museum. The whole room is filled with memorabilia. There were three sisters, and she’s the youngest of the three, and the only surviving member of The Barrett Sisters. They performed with Thomas Dorsey who wrote “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” I was born and raised in Chicago, so a lot of the music is the soundtrack of my childhood — the house music that we talk about. Mahalia Jackson was my neighbor. She lived right down the street from me. I walked past her house every day to go to school. “Precious Lord” is one of the center songs of the Black family. It is a hymn that ties the African American community together. It is an inspirational song of words that can move you to do something — to keep going.
DeCanniere: I just think that it’s such an interesting story, and it sounds as though this special really helps put the holiday — and the music, in particular — into a sort of larger context.
Brown: It’s amazing how, if you go back or listen closely, you can hear the origin sound of Gospel and blues — especially when we talk about lyrics — that even gets into rap and hip-hop. It all comes from the same place. In talking to William Kirk, who is a descendant of Thomas A. Dorsey — the founder of Gospel music — and to Mud Morganfield — who is the eldest son of Muddy Waters — it all comes from that little bit of pain. So, you know, I asked that. Where does that sound come from? Where do the lyrics come from? It’s that story. It is digging deep into life’s struggles, and the problems and issues, and the hope. Putting all of that emotion — that feeling — into lyrics. That, in many ways, was a form of catharsis, but it was also used to entertain. We’ve seen the evolution of music — again, all from that same place — that little bit of pain, through decade after decade, era after era, to how we see and understand blues, Gospel and even hip-hop and rap today.
DeCanniere: And I just think it’s really interesting to learn about all of this, and to appreciate it, and to really just delve into that history or the origins, in order to better understand where that comes from. These are all different genres that I think people can appreciate, and which I think people can enjoy, but to have a better understanding and to have it put into more of a context is a wonderful thing.
Burton: Definitely, and every year we do something different. In 2020, I went to the management and said that we need to honor this day. It was the heat of the summer after the George Floyd protests — the killing of George Floyd. That was in May, and Juneteenth was the following month. I went to the management and said we need to talk about what Juneteenth means, especially right now, in this moment of what we are experiencing in this world. Actually, the George Floyd movement was a worldwide movement. If you went anywhere in the world, you could see protests were taking place. We were in the middle of a pandemic at that time. I said that we need to do a special, and we gathered some of the most incredible minds, visionaries, and Civil Rights activists in the country — in the world — for a conversation. What does Juneteenth mean, and what does that date mean to you, as it relates to today? That was four years ago. 2023 will be our fourth installment of the Juneteenth special. That’s how it was born and how it was created, and that’s the vision behind it. Every year it changes, and it has a more powerful theme and a tribute to history. This year, we’re talking about music. Music is healing and music is an equalizer. It brings everybody together, no matter what your background is, how you feel about life — anything. Music is an equalizer, and it is something that creates unity.
DeCanniere: Which I think is wonderful, especially given that we don’t always seem to be nearly as unified as we ought to be. I feel as though it is impossible to be unaware of the state of things in the country today. So, I think that something that brings people together is a great thing.One thing that I think many may find surprising is how the way in which the holiday was or wasn’t commemorated — it was very much a patchwork. So, I think it’s wonderful that there is this recognition at the Federal level.
Burton: Yes. And it took some time. It means something different for every county, every city, and every family, but the celebration to honor it remains at the center of the harmony of how they honor this special day. It is important and never to be forgotten.
Some companies collaborate and have special items that day. Some people have special quotes in their offices. Some companies and African American businesses collaborate to celebrate and honor, and to bring attention and awareness, to that day. Some people use a family meal together, to honor food that was special for Juneteenth. Some families sit down and watch movies that honor history, and teach history. Generally, schools are out, so people gather at community centers for special activities. It just kind of depends on what way you want to celebrate. Some people celebrate the whole week, and Father’s Day is on Sunday — the day before Juneteenth — so a lot of people will be incorporating their Father’s Day celebrations in honoring Juneteenth, because of the importance of the father in the family. They’ll honor that as well. It just kind of depends on each family and each person.
DeCanniere: Well, however one chooses to celebrate, I am definitely happy that after all of that time and effort, and after all of those years, it is a Federal holiday and gets the recognition it has long deserved.
Burton: And I’m grateful that ABC7 recognizes the impact and the importance of such a phenomenal day in American history. To put together this special every year takes a team of people — from writers to producers, editors, photojournalists, graphic artists, PR. It is a collaborative effort of a massive team, and it starts with the creative process and ideas. We went through several concepts of what we wanted the show to look like in March, and we had ideas, and we decided to go this way and change that. At the end of the day, I’m grateful that ABC7 carves out time to honor this important day in American history. The show airs right before our newscast at 5:00 PM. It airs at 4:30, and it leads into our 5:00 PM newscast. The encore presentation follows after our 10:00 PM newscast. It is in a very special place on Sunday, which is also Father’s Day, a day when lots of families will be gathered to honor fathers.
The next day it will be Juneteenth, and a lot of people have the day off to honor that day. Some people take part in the Opal Lee Walk — some people walk in her name, in their neighborhoods, to honor that. There are so many celebrations. It matters how it moves your heart and your soul. That’s how people honor the day and recognize the day. Some people just sit still and listen to the music. The house is filled with music and maybe food and family and faith on a day like that. I say faith, family, food, and they gather for fathers as well. So, I’m grateful that ABC7 takes the time out to put the effort in to put this together to make it an incredible opportunity to teach history.
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