EJI’s Annual Juneteenth Event to Feature Visionary Jazz Artists Nate Smith and Lizz Wright

This Juneteenth, the Equal Justice Initiative will hold its annual Juneteenth celebration by offering free admission to all of the Legacy Sites and presenting a concert with renowned jazz artists Nate Smith and Lizz Wright.

EJI invites everyone to celebrate Juneteenth with free admission to all of the Legacy Sites on Friday, June 19—The Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Freedom Monument Sculpture Park, and the newly-opened Montgomery Square—where visitors can experience American history and reckon with our history of racial injustice.

On the evening of Friday, June 19, EJI will bring together the virtuosic drummer Nate Smith and acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright for a one-night-only jazz concert at EJI’s Peace and Justice Memorial Center. Tickets for the concert are on sale now, and can be purchased here.

The Hype Magazine has regarded the GRAMMY-award winning Nate Smith as “a global touring powerhouse and an accomplished recording artist,” and The New York Times has stated that “It would not be hyperbolic to describe Lizz Wright… as an awesome talent.”

“We are once again thrilled to open up our sites for free in celebration of Juneteenth. With new exhibits at all of the spaces and our recently opened Montgomery Square, there will be much to experience at the Legacy Sites,” said Bryan Stevenson, EJI executive director. “I’m also thrilled that we can bring to Montgomery two towering and phenomenally talented artists, Nate Smith and Lizz Wright, to perform at our Juneteenth concert.”

EJI’s annual Juneteenth event has included past performances by Wynton Marsalis, Anthony McGill, Yolanda Adams, Donald Lawrence and Company, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Terence Blanchard, Esperanza Spalding, Lizz Wright, Samara Joy, Cory Henry, and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers. As part of its Art and Justice programming more broadly, EJI has brought many additional celebrated artists and creatives to the Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama, including most recently the legendary Yo-Yo Ma and Branford Marsalis. These Art and Justice performances and events have enhanced the Legacy Sites and EJI’s work for justice, creating a new soundtrack for truth-telling.