A year ago, there were a limited number of live events after an all-virtual Welcome America 2020. This year, DelBene said at least 30 museums will open for the free museum series, and there will be performances at a special festival honoring Latin music and dance.
Pianist Emiliano Messiez lives in New York, but his local work with Philadelphia’s School of Argentine Tango has made him feel honored to be part of what he calls “an important celebration.”
“We’re going to play tango music,” Messiez said. “Argentinian tango is not represented everywhere, [so] I just can’t wait for people to listen to new music.
The event will kick off with a massive Juneteenth celebration at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Nina Ball, the museum’s programming director, said this was the second year they’ve collaborated with Welcome America. The museum will offer activities for children, families, and older and younger adults.
“Juneteenth is something very important for the museum,” Ball said. The June 19 event will also include a re-enactment of the American Color Guard when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take over the state and ensure all slaves were freed for two years and a half after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. .
“Some people celebrate, some people commemorate,” Ball explained, “but we want to keep space for everyone.”
