SARASOTA, Fla. — Nate Jacobs says his entire career, he has been surrounded by an audience.
“I started my professional career of the Oslo, and a lot of the stuff that they did was the period pieces,” he said.
He was more than a starving artist, though. He was hungry to put Black stories in the spotlight. He founded the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in 1999.
“It is important to document this, to celebrate this, to acknowledge the fact that we became ourselves again,” he added.
Jacobs is talking about Juneteenth, and for the past four years, he and Jim Weaver have taken the lead on educating the public about the fairly new federal holiday.
“Folks are still kind of getting used to the idea of this being a national holiday, but the reasons for it being a national holiday and why we as a culture want to share that news,” Weaver said.
Footage from last year that the theatre troupe shared shows how they celebrated the anniversary of the end of slavery, and it’s far from your typical history lesson.
Nate Jacobs founded the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in 1999. (Spectrum News/Claire Alfree)
“We have some spoken word happening that deals directly with the subject of freedom and the desire for freedom and equality. We’ve got an African drumming group that’s going to be performing, so we get that aspect of the African influence,” Weaver said.
Their Juneteenth arts festival is more than a creative take on history. Weaver says it’s a way to shed light on a dark time in our nation’s history.
“It is a touchy subject to talk about it. A lot of times when people find the experience enjoyable, they are more open and receptive to the information and and to being educated about,” he explained.
Sharing the stage with Black stories is Jacobs’ preferred way to speak about why we celebrate Juneteenth.
Spectrum News/Claire Alfree
He said about 500 to 600 people show up on campus.
“You know, all different nationalities. They come, they’re happy. They feel that connection of brotherhood, sisterhood. They’re just happy,” Jacobs said.
And the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe is happy to see so many people willing to listen.
“The best way for us to tackle the tough subjects is to openly understand them, receive them, accept the fact that it did happen, but then move past it. Don’t get stuck there, but be able to be willing to understand, be educated and grow,” Weaver mentioned.
The Juneteenth Arts Festival will be center stage on both Friday and Saturday nights. Admission is free; however, organizers ask people interested in coming to make a reservation ahead of time on the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s website.