No tickets are required for this community celebration; RSVPs are requested at slso.org. Doors open at 1 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served.
SLSO musicians and vocalists from the SLSO’s IN UNISON Chorus and IN UNISON Scholars program will perform works by Black artists including John Carter, Rollo Dilworth, Robert Gibson, Florence Price, Andre Thomas, and William Grant Still.
Throughout the program, FBCC Pastor Rev. Christopher L. Rogers and IN UNISON Chorus members will discuss the importance of Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans, through spoken word and poetry.
The SLSO is also partnering with St Louis County Parks to offer additional activities recognizing Juneteenth. Tours of African Schoolhouse No. 4—a one-room schoolhouse that educated Black children in Chesterfield that was restored in Faust Park and dedicated earlier this year – will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Following the concert from 3:15 to 4:15pm, the FBCC memorial slave cemetery at the southeast corner of Wild Horse Creek Road and Chesterfield Parkway will be open to visitors. First Baptist Church of Chesterfield members and descendants of those memorialized at the cemetery will be on site to share the history of the cemetery.
“We own, and we preserve that site,” Rev. Rogers said during the church’s 175th anniversary celebration in 2021.
“It’s really a memorial garden. We maintain it, in terms of the landscaping, making sure that we preserve it for those families…who may still be here, who want to pay homage, or just pay respect to their loved ones.
“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us…it is our duty to honor them. The ones who fought, labored, and toiled…who had to deal with so much strife for us. We don’t want their labor to be in vain, so for us, it’s an honor to maintain their dignity. We owe it to them to ensure that we pick up that mantle and continue to move forward with it.”