June 19, 2025 | WorldBeat Cultural Center, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
Juneteenth commemorates the delayed
but powerful moment of emancipation in the United States—the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African
Americans in Texas were informed of their freedom.
But the struggle for liberation didn’t wait for official proclamations. For centuries, freedom was
forged in the forests, swamps, and borderlands by those who resisted slavery through escape, alliance, and
rebellion.
This Juneteenth, WorldBeat Cultural Center honors the enduring legacy of Maroon societies, like Harriet Tubman and the
Black Seminoles, who fought for and maintained their independence against
slavery and colonization. These self liberated African and Afro-Indigenous communities—known as Maroons—
created hidden settlements across the Americas. In the U.S., none were more formidable than the Black Seminoles, who
allied with Seminole Indians in Florida and built a culture of resistance that spanned
generations.
Their quest for survival and freedom led many Black Seminoles on an implausible journey—from the swamps of Florida to
Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma, and across the Rio Grande to Coahuila, Mexico, where they became known as the
Mascogos. There, they were granted land and refuge, preserving their culture, language, and traditions as one of Mexico’s
recognized Afro-descendant communities.
At the heart of this legacy stands John Horse (Juan Caballo), a fearless Black Seminole leader and freedom fighter who
led his people through war, displacement, and ultimately across borders into Mexico in pursuit of self-determination. His story is a cornerstone of both African American and Indigenous history. We are honored to welcome Micco/Chief Thomi Perryman as our keynote speaker. A hereditary chief of the United Warrior Band of the Seminole Nation/John Horse Band, and founder of the Warren Perryman Foundation for Native American Research, Chief Perryman is a nationally
recognized speaker and cultural historian. Of Black Seminole, Creek, and Apache descent, he has spent decades preserving and sharing the stories of the Black Seminoles, including their vital military history, crossborder survival, and continued presence in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Mexico.
Join us on Thursday, June 19th to hear Chief Perryman speak on the living history of Maroon resistance, the transnational
legacy of the Black Seminoles and Mascogos, and the ongoing efforts to honor their cultural survival.
WorldBeat Cultural Center, Balboa Park
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Time: 6PM- 7:30PM
Guest Speaker: Chief Thomi Perryman
Cost: Free
Cultural performances and
community celebration
Let us come together in honor of liberation, identity, and the resilience of Afro-Indigenous peoples whose stories
must be remembered and uplifted.
Together, we remember—and we rise and
we are still fighting for freedom and
liberation from ignorance.
