MIAMI BEACH, FL - JANUARY 22: Nick Cannon speaks on stage during NATPE Miami 2020 - Iris Awards at Fontainebleau Hotel on January 22, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
Nick Cannon’s new vegan soul food restaurant, the VTree Hollywood in Los Angeles, is hosting an “Ode to Black Lives” Juneteenth celebration.
Cannon opened the restaurant in April in collaboration with plant-based chef, Chef Velvet. The duo founded the restaurant—which sold out after its very first day of trade—to provide more vegan soul food options to the community.
The new restaurant will live stream its Juneteenth celebration from its Instagram account. It will include musical performances from Chika, Mumu Fresh, April Sampe, and Ayanna Gregory. Gregory is the daughter of Dick Gregory, a well-known vegan, comedian, and civil rights activist.
For customers who want to attend the celebration, they will be able to do so whilst socially distancing in the car park of Yamashiro, where VTree is based. The restaurant is offering food for takeaway. The menu will be “festival style” and will include two to three choices.
The restaurant’s ordinary rotating menu includes classic, southern-inspired dishes like BBQ Ribz, Cajun Shrimp, and Original Fried Drumsticks.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is celebrated every year on June 19. It commemorates the emancipation of all enslaved people across the U.S.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the official emancipation proclamation on January 1 in 1863. But it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that it was read to enslaved African Americans in Texas.
One hundred and fifty-five years on, many celebrate the anniversary across the U.S. It isn’t a federal holiday, but 47 states and the district of Columbia acknowledge it. Texas was the first state to recognize the holiday, and Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota are the only states that do not officially recognize it.
This year, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, Juneteenth takes place against a backdrop of ongoing protests against police brutality and systemic racism across the U.S. and around the world. Organizers across the country, including local Black Lives Matter chapters and other social justice groups, are spearheading protests.
VTree’s Juneteenth event will take place from 5 pm to 8 pm on Friday.
It will raise money for Our Own Life, a nonprofit organization that works to build and strengthen communities. It supports underserved people by creating access to resources for mental, physical, and emotional health.
This post was last modified on October 17, 2021 6:02 pm