Loveland's 4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday, June 22nd from 12pm- 4pm @ Backyard Tap
Hosted by Heart & Sol of Loveland
Join us for an educational and celebratory community event
Speakers & Performers:
Candace Oates - Emcee
Ms. Oates is OAA's Board Vice President and Co-Founder of OAA Candace holds a bachelor's in International Advertising and Marketing from Ball State University and is currently working on her MBA. She holds 3 American Council of Exercise (ACE) Certifications as a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, and Health Coach. Ms. Oates has also certified as a life wellness coach, women exercise and metabolism specialist, TRX Suspension coach, landline coach, strength bands coach, kettlebell coach, Total Body Transformation specialist, Form and Function Consultant, and a registered Diabetes Prevention Specialist. Candace received her certificate as a Motivational Speaker at the International Association of Professions Career College. Ms. Oates is a certified Yoga Instructor, Barre Instructor, and has previously taught Silver Sneakers and water aerobic classes. Ms. Oates holds monthly in person and Zoom Health Coaching sessions with an emphasis of the importance of living a healthier well-balanced lifestyle. Ms. Oates teaches the Colorado based youth educational health and wellness program, Awareness Bound, on behalf of OAA.
Ernest Washington - Performer
SINGER/ SONGWRITER/ PRODUCER. Mr. Ernest Washington first discovered his love for music as a young child in his hometown, St. Louis, Missouri. Through the years, Mr. Washington has displayed his passions for music with his singing, songwriting and producing. Mr. Washington's voice has been featured at a variety of venues and events. In 2021, he had the honor of performing with the soulful Mr. Jeffrey Osborn. He also had the pleasure of opening for the dynamic group “Xscape" and the opportunity to perform a duet with national recording artist, Ms. Regina Bell. Mr. Washington also performed with the legendary "Temptations” in Las Vegas, Nevada and was a member of the Stellar Award winning "Colorado Mass Choir.” In celebration of Black History month 2022, Mr. Washington took part in the musical, “The History of African American Music from 1920 to 1970” imitating the “Father of Soul” James Brown, Chuck Berry, Sam Cook and other outstanding performers during that era. Mr. Washington has performed at festivals in Colorado that includes the “Black Arts Festival” and the “Five Points Jazz Festival.” He was invited in 2017 to perform the “National Anthem” live at a Nugget vs. Lakers basketball game. He also appeared on the hit television shows “Star Search" and "Amateur Night at the Apollo" in New York City. Mr. Washington recently release two hit singles, "Ride and “My Only” from his new CD "Passions." He continues to perform musical renditions of jazz ranging from 60's into the 90's, Gospel as well as his own unique original music at private and public engagements. Through his aspirations and dedication, Mr. Washington has not only made himself a popular performer throughout Colorado but has proven himself to be a powerful dynamic and charismatic performer across the United States.
Json Martin - Performer
Json Martin is a gifted artist specializing in Hip Hop, Neo Soul, R&B, and Gospel, and has proven himself to be a multi-talented threat. Singer, slam poet, rapper, pianist, sound engineer, and producer. Originally from the United Kingdom, Json Martin has made his name known both on the local scene of Colorado as well as the regional. He has performed at a variety of venues, and festivals Including Cervantes Masterball Room, The Roxy Theater, the Loft, Colorado Springs City Auditorium, Stargazers, Colorado Springs World Arena. Json Martin has also been on stage and opened with a wide range of other talented artist, such names as Rick Ross, Vedo, Jon B, Tony Exum a national recognized saxophonist. And Shed G famous actor and comic from the Tyler Perry's Madea series. As an African American activist Json Martin is also a regional as well as state champion of spoken word poetry. And even competing in the national NAACP’s ACTSO. With none other than the CEO of Def Poetry Jam as his judge. His Spoken word has also attracted many other historical names to join him on stage. Such names as the Tuskegee airman. And Carlota Walls who was the youngest of nine to integrate little rock.
Riaga - Performer
Aurora, Colorado based Rapper, Singer, Producer and Engineer. Riaga has a hard hitting style that attacks fast paced beats and compacts unique lyricism into each bar. His rapping is often compared to some of the greatest East-Coast rappers, his singing is typically in the style of R&B and Reggaetón and his beat production is upbeat with latin or hyphy influences. Being mixed Peruvian (Peru; Second Generation) and African-American, he takes pride in acknowledging both races through both his artist name, Riaga (Short for his mother's maiden name, Saldarriaga), and his image. Riaga specializes in Recording, Mixing & Mastering alongside Voiceover work and Sound Design for Film. Riaga is truly a man of many talents and pushes the envelope in creativity every time down with each project he releases. He writes, produces, and engineers all of his records, alongside Co- Directs & Writes the script to all of his Visuals. His biggest influences in Hip-Hop growing up were Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z, Eminem, Joe Budden, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Ludacris, Outkast, E-40, and many more. In R&B/Soul, Latin music and Pop, his influence ranges variously from Boyz II Men & Backstreet Boys to Enrique Iglesias & Romeo Santos. The diversity in his upbringing has made him versatile amongst the rest of the culture by having the ability to produce and execute in more than one genre. His outreach touches more than one demographic, therefore generating numerous audiences at shows and bringing everyone together collectively via Social Media. In 2018 he coined the phrase "Oh Look! It's The Gang!" which was immediately picked up by local DJ's and fellow artists as a viral tag. He managed to grow the tag into a clothing line and a business of its own. In 2020 he released the socially aware track and video, "I am an Introvert" which brought attention to police brutality in his neighborhood and, while controversial, received high praise on social media. This release coincided with his album "This is Important" which addresses many political and cultural hot topics. Merchandise for "This is Important" sold out almost immediately. In the summer of 2022 Riaga opened for Tech N9ne at the Five Rocks Amphitheater in Nebraska performing in front of a sold out crowd of over 3,500 people. Riaga also traveled to Miami, FL in March of 2023 to perform for the 1st time in a big music market city. Further solidifying his position as a lyricist and entertainer. For as long as Riaga has the creative freedom to do what he wants, he will be unstoppable in breaking the mold and setting new standards on how music is cultivated for years to come.
Scrappy Breakers Crew! - Performers
School of Breaking: Who We Are Established in 2012, School of Breaking serves as a cornerstone in Breaking and Hip-Hop education in Aurora and throughout Colorado. Rooted in authenticity, our mission is to nurture and safeguard the rich legacy of Hip-Hop, drawing inspiration from its deep-seated connections to Black and Latino heritage, and fostering a vibrant community that thrives on these cultural ties. Positively influencing our community through rhythm, movement, art and knowledge, our objective is to provide students with comprehensive skills to delve into various aspects of Hip-Hop culture including Breaking, DJing, MCing, and Graffiti. We strive to create an atmosphere where students can freely express themselves without fear of judgment, reinforcing the values of discipline, originality, and respect. We’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact our work has on our students’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Scrappy Breakers School of Breaking’s Competitive Breaking Program has expanded into two teams and is providing more opportunities for more dancers to be involved. SchoolYard Scrappers is our Recreational Team. Scrappy Breakers is our Club Competitive Team. Our Competitive Breaking Program helps youth dancers learn to perform and compete at high levels, through creative and physical skill development and positive character building. Scrappy Breakers Club Competitive Breaking Team Intermediate & Advanced Level Ages 10 – 17 Team Participation Consists of: 2 Weekly classes 2 Weekly practices 5 In-state competitions 3 Out-of-state competitions Additional performances The Competitive Breaking season starts in August of each year and runs through June. We host team try-outs and orientation at the beginning of August. Youth can join the SchoolYard Scrappers Recreational Team on the 1st of every month from August through April. Youth can join the Scrappy Breakers Competitive Club Team after tryout selections in August – September. If you are interested in your child joining our organization, or would like more information, please contact us via email ([email protected]).
The Mokomba Ensamble
The Mokomba Ensemble is a traditional and contemporary West African Drum and Dance Ensemble based in Boulder, Colorado. We are multinational performance group, with current members originating in Ghana, Senegal, Haiti, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico and the U.S. We perform throughout the year all over Colorado. We visit most major universities in Colorado, as well as K-12 schools, to offer cultural experiences, performances, and workshops. You may book Mokomba Ensemble for non-profit fundraising events, corporate parties, cultural events and entertainment at your venue. We are available for up to 2 hours of authentic African dance and drumming performance sets including singing and collaboration with other musicians. Please contact us if you are interested in booking Mokomba Ensemble. Greg (Booking Manager): 303-807-7398