Juneteenth Celebration with Akivah Northern and S.B. Ring Shout Project

Join us for a Juneteenth celebration with a presentation on the history of Juneteenth by Akivah Northern and performance by Santa Barbara Ring Shout Project. Ring Shout is a spiritual, traditional circle dance enslaved Africans carried out when they were brought to the United States. It involves call and response singing, stomping, clapping, and beating on a wooden floor or surface with a stick to make rhythm. Ring Shout doesn’t use musical instruments, it’s an acapella style of singing.

Akivah Northern is a visionary healthcare leader who plans to open neighborhood clinics where medicine, ministry, music, art, dance, education, and the ecological connect for healing. Akivah is a graduate of Yale University School of Divinity and a former SB Chaplain. Currently, Akivah is a doctoral candidate at Loma Linda University and her work is at the intersection of faith and health.

Santa Barbara Ring Shout Project aims to preserve this tradition through education and performance.