NATIONAL MEN OF COLOR ASSOCIATION AND NATIONAL BLACK AUTHORS TOUR PUNCTUATE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA’S 19 JUNE 2023 JUNETEENTH OBSERVANCE WITH COLLABORATIVE INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL EVENT -- ““OUR BLACK LIVES: MINDFULNESS OVER MATTER FOR ENVISIONING OURSELVES WHOLE”

CONTACT;

Dr. Maurice Henderson

Founder and President, National Men of Color Association

Founder, National Black Authors Tour

267-349-5661

E-Mail:  mauricebrianhenderson@yahoo.com 

          PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) -- On Monday, 19 June 1865,  United States Major General Gordon Granger, Commanding Officer of the Military District of Texas issued General Orders No. 3 to force the State of Texas to emancipate approximately at least 250,000 souls of African descent -- men, women, and children -- who were still enslaved throughout  the Southern state, despite the execution and issuance  of the Emancipation Proclamation on 22 September 1862 by United States President The Honorable Abraham Lincoln which became the law of the land in the United States on 1 January 1863.  More than 2,000 Federal soldiers of the 13^th Army Company, many of whom were African Americans who fought for the Union during the American Civil War, along with Major General Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas  to issue General Orders No. 3 and to meet any resistance to the implementation of General Orders No. 3.with unbridled military force.  Nearly one hundred and fifty-six years later,  the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives respectively passed the Juneteenth National Independence Act on 15 June 2021 and 16 June 2021 which was signed into law on 17 June 2021 by the 46^th President of the United States The Honorable Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. which established Juneteenth as a federal holiday. 

          The City of Philadelphia launched its observance  of the Juneteenth national holiday on Monday, 5 June 2023, with the raising of the official Juneteenth Flag at City Hall.   During the ceremony, Mrs. Opal Lee, a community activist, organizer, and retired educator from Fort Worth, Texas, whose fervent advocacy for the enactment of legislation establishing Juneteenth as a national federal holiday in the United States gained national attention and  ultimately transformed Juneteenth into a national federal holiday, was feted by Philadelphia City Council and The Honorable James Francis Kenney, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia.  Known as the “Grandmother Of Juneteenth,” Mrs. Lee, who is 96 years old, was presented with a Philadelphia City Council citation and a proclamation from Mayor Kenney which designated Monday, 5 June 2023 as “Opal Lee Day” throughout the City of Philadelphia.  

         A collaborative interactive virtual observance of the Juneteenth national federal holiday will be orchestrated on 19 June 2023  from 6:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) through 9:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) by the National Men Of Color Association which was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the National Black Authors Tour.  The interactive virtual observance which is entitled, “Our Black Lives:  Mindfulness Over Matter For Envisioning Ourselves Whole” punctuates the City Of Philadelphia’s Juneteenth celebrations.  “Our Black Lives:  Mindfulness Over Matter For Envisioning Ourselves Whole” which is a collaborative observance of Juneteenth on Monday, 19 June 2023 from 6:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) through 9:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) presented by the National Men Of Color Association and the National Black Author Tour will be aired by Master Griot Radio (https://www.blogtalkradio,com/nbbta) which is featured on numerous platforms that includes but are not limited, to Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com);  Spreaker (https://www.spreaker.com); Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com); and Zeno Radio (https://Zeno.fm). 

        To register for “Our Black Lives:  Mindfulness Over Matter For Envisioning Ourselves Whole” which is a collaborative interactive virtual observance of the Juneteenth national federal holiday staged by the National Men Of Color Association and the National Black Authors Tour from 6:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) through 9:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) on 19 June 2023, visit the following link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kd-CgqT8jGtII EEamB26r3_UUXpL8Df a8.   Registrants will receive a personal link which will connect them to “Our Black Lives:  Mindfulness Over Matter For Envisioning Ourselves Whole” which features an expansive dialogue which is themed “Black Love -- Lost, Strayed, Or Stolen”.  The expansive dialogue themed “Black Love -- Lost, Strayed, Or Stolen” is followed by an interactive and profound interview with prolific and award-winning  filmmaker Mr. Nazir Alston (http://www. nkacreations.com) and his father Mr. Robert Hershey Alston, an actor, director, and producer.     Mr. Robert “Hershey” Alston is the co-producer of  “AWAKEN: A Tale Of Inner City Violence, Crime, And Its Impact” (2019);  and producer of “Men Of Understanding”  (2016); and “The Vigilante Chronicles” (2018). The Father and Son team will explore their award-winning and hauntingly profound  film documentary -- "District Greenwood: the Amalgamated People" -- which enjoys a No. 1 rating on AfroLand TV’s Top Ten List  (https://www.afrolandtv.com/).   AfroLandTV, which is backed by Comcast NBC Universal (https://corpoorate.comcast.com/policy/nbc universal-transaction), is founded by Mr. Michael S. Maponga of Dallas, Texas who serves as its Chief Executive Officer. 

        “District Greenwood:  The Amalgamated People”, the hauntingly profound and award-winning film documentary produced by  Messrs. Nazir Alston and Robert Hershey Alston  pays tribute to Greenwood District's historic and thriving Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma and simultaneously unearths the horrific  21 May 1921 through 1 June 2021 massacre of at least 300 souls of African descent and the total destruction of homes and businesses owned by souls of African descent which resulted in homelessness for at least 5,000 souls of African descent  committed by Caucasians.  After perpetrating a massacre of innocent Africans and the total destruction of their homes and businesses, Caucasian politicians and businessmen rezoned the area once known as the "Black Wall Street" to prevent reconstruction of businesses and homes by souls of African descent -- a number of whom were also of Native American ancestry..  At the time of the massacre, approximately 10,000 souls of African descent resided in the Greenwood District.

         Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the sixth largest metropolitan area of the United States, the National Men Of Color Association was established in 2019  by Dr. Maurice Henderson who serves as its President.  Under Dr. Henderson’s leadership, the National Men Of Color Association has been featured in a plethora of articles published and distributed by the independent, alternative, and mainstream print media; on WPHL-TV/Channel 17’s public affairs program, In Focus, hosted by Ms. Jennifer Hall-Lewis, an Emmy nominated journalist and Director of Community affairs at WPHL-TV/Channel 17; and on WPEB-FM  88.1.  An award-winning author and prolific poet and playwright, Dr. Henderson is also the Founder of the National Black Authors Tour.

          The National Men Of Color Association basked in the international spotlight in 2019 when it was bestowed with the International Men’s Day L.T.. Henry “Transcending Boundaries” Award -- Certificate of Recognition.   International Men’s Day, which was inaugurated in 1999 by  Jerome Teelucksingh, Ph.D., a Men’s Issues Thought Leader and faculty member of the History Department at the University of West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago is observed annually on 19 November of each year by over ninety (90) nations.   A global observance which shares a 48-hour partnership with Universal Children’s Day which is celebrated on 20 November of each year and is recognized by the United Nations, International Men’s Day celebrates and honors the valuable contributions that Men make to families, communities, and our world.   The late Mr. L.T. Henry, for whom the International Men’s Day Award was named, envisioned a world in which Men -- particularly, Men who are Fathers -- would transcend the boundaries of geography, politics, culture, economics, class, language, religion, and ethnicity to support one another, create lines of communication with one another, and work together to overcome and eradicate obstacles which they confronted on a day-to-day basis that made it difficult for them to positively shape the minds and souls of their children, strengthen their families and empower the communities in which they lived and worked.  Mr. Henry affixed the title of IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® (https://globalfather hooddialogue.blogspot.com) to his vision, which has facilitated and moderated a global dialogue on Fatherhood and Men’s Issues for two (2) decades.  During his lifetime, Mr. Henry was a classically trained jazz musician who performed briefly with The Philadelphia Orchestra; former drummer for internationally acclaimed songstress and television and film actress the late Ms. Della Reese, success motivation and sales instructor; photojournalist; and author of a Fatherhood book -- In Search Of Fatherhood®. 

      For further information regarding the collaborative interactive virtual observance of Juneteenth -- “Our Black Lives:  Mindfulness Over Matter For Envisioning Ourselves Whole”  -- staged by the National Men Of Color Association and the National Black Author Tour on Monday, 19 June 2023 from 6:00 P.M. (E.S.T.) through 9:00 P.M. (E.S.T.), contact Dr. Maurice Henderson at 267-349-5661 or electronic mail at: mauricebrian henderson@yahoo.com.  

          To learn more about the National Men Of Color Association and the National Black Authors Tour founded respectively by Dr. Henderson, call 267-349-5661 or send an electronic mail communication to: mauricebrianhenderson@yahoo.com.

        To learn more about Juneteenth, visit the website the website of the Juneteenth Foundation at https://thejuneteenthfoundation.com/ or call the Juneteenth Foundation which is based in Washington, D.C. at (202) 677-3593.

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