'Summer of Soul' screening to begin Detroit's Juneteenth celebration

To begin the recognition and celebration of Juneteenth, the Downtown Detroit Partnership and the Motown Museum are collaborating to present a special screening of the award-winning documentary "Summer of Soul" at 6 p.m. Thursday at Campus Martius Park.

 Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, "Summer of Soul" is a documentary that explores the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. During the six Sundays in 1969 that this festival took place, attendees and musicians celebrated Black pride through music, culture and creativity. 

Robin Terry, chairwoman and CEO of the Motown Museum,  said in a press release she's excited to share this powerful film with the local community.

“Questlove is a brilliant musician and as we learned on his visit to Motown Museum in 2018, he is also an avid collector and music historian,” Terry said. “This captivating documentary ‘Summer of Soul’ is a wonderful expression of his passion for music and gift for storytelling. We’re thrilled to celebrate Questlove’s success by sharing this extraordinary Oscar winning film with the Detroit community.”

Prior to the screening, attendees will be able to participate in themed activities that begin at 6 p.m., including  music and the showing of a special pre-movie video provided by the Motown Museum. 

The screening is part of the weekly Movie Nights in the D program, which offers free movie screenings every Thursday through August at Campus Martius Park . 

For more information, visit DowntownDetroit.org/events.