The new film “Miss Juneteenth” was released on the 155th anniversary of the first Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the delayed freedom of enslaved Black people in 1865. This film not only arrived on this anniversary, but at a time during which there’s a worldwide reckoning and realization that, while enslaved Black folks may have been freed in 1865, systemic racism perpetuates grave injustices, and in some cases different forms of enslavement (as in the 13th Amendment within the United States’ Constitution), for Black people across the globe.
READ MORE: ‘Miss Juneteenth’ Is A Quiet, Beautiful Story Of Independence & Growth [Review]
While celebrating Black girlhood, “Miss Juneteenth” examines the intergenerational hopes and pressures between Black mothers and daughters. Turquoise Jones (Nicole Beharie), is a single mother and former winner of Fort Worth, TX’s Miss Juneteenth pageant who attempts to push her rebellious daughter, Kai (Alexis Chikaeze), into participating in the same pageant.
I talked with Nicole Bahrie about learning the history of Juneteenth, the delights of working with filmmaker Channing Godfrey Peoples and Chikaeze, and what she hopes viewers will take away by watching the film.
What elements of the “Miss Juneteenth” script spoke to you as an actress?
Channing’s script is very intimate. I connected with the story having lived in the South myself, being raised by a single mother, and dealing with self-esteem issues in my twenties. This is a universal story, that is specific to the Black experience. When I auditioned Channing let me know this was going to be a tiny production, and shooting grassroots style. Most of the actors were local, you gotta really fit in” all that kind of stuff. And I was like, “Oh, okay. Okay, challenge accepted.” And I knew that it meant a lot to her. But in the same vein, I lived in a small town Orangeburg, South Carolina, among other places, growing up and I mean, I knew places like that, like that bar in the movie, and I wanted to honor those people.
It’s interesting because I know a lot of people who are just now discovering the Juneteenth holiday. When did you first learn about it?
I’m not gonna lie. It’s one of those things that like, you know, living in South Carolina you hear about it, but I don’t really know anyone that was celebrating or commemorating the holiday. Maybe there would be a poster up at my local soul food spot, but never a real celebration or a national acknowledgment. It wasn’t until I was in college, working on a play that I read about it and we talked about it in the actual storytelling. Even then it wasn’t something that I brought into my life and into my awareness.
Now having been down to Texas and realizing that people are actually honoring the holiday and what it truly means, I know I’m going to celebrate it full force this year– especially considering the context of 2020. It’s sort of a celebration of, you know, everyone being free. When starting the project I found juneteenth had several names: it’s called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, it’s also called Liberation Day. Names I just love.
What was it about Texas specifically that maybe inspired Channing or made “Miss Juneteenth” what it is? Cause I noticed Texas is sort of like a character in and of itself here.
There is no white gaze here. It’s about the people in her community. They rallied around Channing’s community to support her, and Black woman artists. People volunteered in any way they could to help Channing materialize her dream. So when we talk about Texas, “Miss Juneteenth” is a love letter to her community, and there is a lot of love there.
I went there two weeks or so early to get into the dialect and learn how to work the bar. I was welcomed with open arms. The place where my character, Turquoise, works in is a real hangout spot, and the Juneteenth museum is a real thing. Even though we may not see the value in our own communities and invest in them–I think that’s what Channing is doing here and sort of asking us to think about.
I lived in Texas for a little bit. Community is very much a priority there.
It’s funny because she was having that conversation through the film and in a subtle way, but also the talk of community is happening at a time where now we’re seeing hashtags for Black artists, businesses, you know, all those things. And that’s kind of the way that she’s been thinking and moving this entire time.
And thinking specifically about Texas there are cowboys and there’s a lot of barbecue and a lot of music that’s specifically from the South in that like soulful. I know what it’s called…I’m gonna have to get back to you on exactly what it’s called, but it’s like really old school soul vibes, with organs and everything.
Are you talking about Zydeco?
No, Zydeco’s from South Carolina. I know what you’re talking about and it’s similar. In the film, you hear it quite a few times, but there’s a specific name…I can’t remember, but, you know, it’s like how we are and like Baltimore or whatever with Go-go. We have these pockets and even within our different pockets of Black people, we have our different little cultures, you know what I mean?
So Channing is letting us see that, but at the same time, it’s happening through a very universal lens where I feel like all anybody can understand raising a child, coming into your own, struggling with your parents. You know what I mean? I’m trying to provide for the future. Those things are happening. Like the backdrop is a very specific thing.
I just want to gush for a second cause I really loved the movie. And that’s not really something that’s easy to do, to make a universal story within a specific lens. That’s very difficult. And I feel like it’s something Black women do better than anybody else in this industry. As I’ve noticed, if you’ve seen other films, especially indie films, like “Little Woods” or “Selah and the Spades,” there are other films that are universal, but fit within a specific gaze. That’s what I really like about “Miss Juneteenth.” Outside of the great acting and the direction, it’s just the storytelling.
Were you already familiar with the world of pageants or did you learn more about it as you worked on the film?
The young lady who plays Kai, Alexis Chikaeze, had been in pageants, so she was teaching me about it. I know having lived in the town, I have had a lot of girlfriends in high school and things that were part of that. I was a little bit of an oddball and maybe even the tomboy or theater nerd, but that was never really my learning. It’s an interesting culture.
It’s very different from what we see on television with white pageants and how they do things. I noticed that pageants are specific to the culture.
I feel like these pageants are, in a way, about surviving in the world. They’re trying to teach skills and give people the confidence to think for themselves and to carry themselves in a particular way. So in my mind, I thought of pageants as a kind of patriarchal. Women walking around and dressing up and then people voting on their beauty. This pageant, Miss Juneteenth, which is actually a pageant that happens here in Texas isn’t about that, it’s about scholarships, learning your history and thinking outside of whatever narrative is supposed to be the stereotypical narrative for a Black woman coming from that particular area.
There’s something very empowering about what’s going on in these particular types of pageants. And it’s also not about body shape or size. It really is about your talent, your gift, and your understanding of community.
What is the one thing you hope audiences get from watching “Miss Juneteenth?”
Wait, what did you pick up? I wanna know what you picked up?
Well, community building is important. When we have a sense of community and they help us on our journey to success. I liked the fact that there was no trauma-porn thing. Watching Turquoise move through the world reminds me a lot of August Wilson plays: the main character is given a scenario and the audience watches how they work through it. It was really the strength of the community and the characters’ places within it that I got from it. I’m curious to know what do you hope others get from it?
That’s awesome. That’s awesome. I mean, that’s definitely a part of it. I hope people get the meaning of the history, which is the context of the title. I hope that the complex, nuanced relationship that exists within our communities, like you said, aren’t flashy trauma-porn. People can realize that they’re just as valuable and beautiful. And in honoring them, they honor their own lives. It’s not black and white, bad or good–there are just bad choices, and everybody’s trying to figure it out the right thing. I just love that you get to exist, not as a trope or stereotype. I love that so much, and I hope that people appreciate that part.
“Miss Juneteenth” is available on VOD now.