The Los Angeles College of Music (LACM) is thrilled to announce its partnership this year with Black in Mayberry, bringing three of its students — emerging R&B artists and future stars — to perform for its third annual Juneteenth celebration in El Segundo. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 15, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM at El Segundo Recreation Park. This year marks the second year that Black in Mayberry will be hosting a Juneteenth festival in the park, promising a day filled with entertainment, fun, education, and community engagement.
Juneteenth, observed on June 19th and also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the United States. Black in Mayberry is dedicated to honoring this significant day by providing a platform for celebration and reflection for the entire community. This year, LACM and Black in Mayberry are joining forces to bring a day of music, arts, education and community to El Segundo, highlighting the Foundation’s mission to combat racism through the arts.
The festival will feature live music, captivating performances, interactive arts activities, an art exhibit, a kid’s zone, black-owned business vendors, food trucks, and much more. The event promises something for everyone, with activities and attractions that celebrate African American culture, history and contributions to America.
“After an astonishingly successful Juneteenth Festival in the Park in 2023, we are excited to once again host our 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration in El Segundo Recreation Park this year. This event is a celebration of freedom, unity, resilience, struggles and triumphs and we invite everyone regardless of ethnicity to join the African American community in celebrating our freedom from enslavement and the ideal of freedom and equality for all,” said Tanya Taylor, founder and Executive Director of Black in Mayberry and producer of the 2021 Black in Mayberry documentary. “We are excited to partner with LACM this year to feature their students and top emerging artists so that attendees will get a front row seat to see these future stars of Black culture and artistry.”
The Juneteenth Festival is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their families and friends to enjoy this vibrant celebration of African American culture.
“We are honored to collaborate with Black in Mayberry for this significant celebration,” said Erin Workman, Executive Vice President and Head of the Songwriting and Music Business Departments at LACM. “This partnership aligns with LACM’s mission to foster creativity, diversity and community engagement. We look forward to giving our students and future stars an opportunity to perform at this celebration of freedom that educates, entertains and inspires.”
About the artists:
Hailing from Alabama and now based in Los Angeles, Lendryx is an independent R&B artist that brings inspiration and melodies from R&B’s roots and blends it with contemporary concepts, creating a unique soundscape of his own. As Vibe magazine writes, “Meet Lendryx—a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter with an affinity for traditional R&B and a falsetto that’d impress any R&B OG. On his new record, “Just My Turn,” he combines his romantic strife with his tenure in the military, emotionally conveying the fears of losing a love so crucial that it seems scarier than fighting in a war.” Lendryx has over 1 million global streams, 3 top 10 iTunes R&B singles and a top 15 iTunes R&B/Soul album, purification.
Kennedy Ray is a singer-songwriter from the great music city of Memphis, Tennessee. The city’s rich history of soul, gospel and blues have influenced her greatly as a musician, leading her to take on a modern-day Motown sound infused with heavy notes of R&B and pop. Kennedy was one of only twenty students in the first-ever Stax Music Academy Songwriting Lab. Sponsored by a collaboration between Levi’s Strauss & Co. and Justin Timberlake, the Songwriting Lab landed her big performance opportunity, showcasing her songwriting work along with her peers for the city and the nation.
Gray, a California native rapper/producer blending hip hop with elements of jazz, R&B, and alternative music, juggles the hardships of life and navigates adulthood through lyrics of self-reflection and raw honesty. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Tyler, the Creator, and Kanye West, Gray infuses his music with gritty narratives of struggle, resilience, and self-discovery, tackling the weight of societal expectations, the rollercoaster of love and loss, and the turbulent journey of self-acceptance.
For more information about Black in Mayberry and the Juneteenth Festival, please visit www.blackinmayberry.org or follow @blackinmayberry on social media.
About Black in Mayberry:
Black in Mayberry is a nonprofit organization with a mission to combat racism through the arts. The organization strives to create a society where diversity, inclusion, and equality thrive, fostering an environment of understanding, empathy, and appreciation for all. By leveraging artistic expression, Black in Mayberry aims to dismantle systemic racism and build a more equitable future.
El Segundo resident Tanya Taylor is the founder and Executive Director of Black in Mayberry and the producer of the 2021 Black in Mayberry documentary. In the film, inspired by Black Lives Matter protests in El Segundo following the murder of Geroge Floyd, the city’s residents share their experiences with racism with the aim to tell the stories that may not always be discussed between people of different races. www.blackinmayberry.org.
ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COLLEGE OF MUSIC
Los Angeles College of Music, LACM, prepares students to be leaders in music and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in 12 majors across Music Performance, Music Production, Music Composition, and Music Industry. Since opening its doors in 1996, LACM has become home to music students from around the world who desire the professional edge that can only be attained by living and studying in the heart of the music industry. Small class sizes and private study with current, leading, musical professionals foster an intimate and supportive environment to learn to create, record, perform, and market in today’s competitive music industry. LACM has expanded its programming to ages 12+ through its Summer at LACM program, and recently introduced the Bridge to Success English as a second language program that allows students to attend college 1 term early and develop academic English skills through music coursework and cultural immersion. For more information, call 626.568.8850 or e-mail info@lacm.edu. LACM is located at 300 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105. Follow LACM at www.facebook.com/LACMOfficial or on Twitter: @LACMOfficial. www.lacm.edu.
