RAPID CITY – South Dakota History Brought to Life at Juneteenth Celebration

This year’s annual Juneteenth Celebration hosted by Black Hills Community Theatre (BHCT) and the
Performing Arts Center of Rapid City (PACRC), brings to the stage the work and life of Yankton writer,
Katherine Davis Chapman Tillman. An Afternoon with Katherine Davis Chapman Tillman has been created by
local performer and historian, Joyce Jefferson and will involve additional community performers. The event
will take place on June 13 th in the Historic Theatre at the Performing Arts Center and is free to the public.

Katherine Davis Chapman Tillman moved to Yankton in 1882 at the age of twelve. She attended school in
Yankton and later the State University of Kentucky. She was a prolific writer, who created a large body of work
including poetry, essays, and plays. Her plays Thirty Years of Freedom and Fifty Years of Freedom speak directly
to the experience of Black Americans in the years following emancipation. Joyce Jefferson has appeared as
Tillman, and several other South Dakota “Sheroes” at prior Juneteenth celebrations and this year has created
a new piece specifically for this event.

This will be the fourth annual Juneteenth Celebration hosted by BHCT and the PACRC. Doors will open at 1pm
for attendees to meet in fellowship, enjoy some coffee and cookies, contribute a paper quilt square to a
community quilt, and view educational displays about the holiday and local Black history. The performance
will begin at 2pm in the Historic Theatre. Admission is free.

Black Hills Community Theatre (BHCT) produces five Mainstage shows, two youth productions, an annual
Holiday Fundraiser, a Play Reading Series, plus workshops, special events and summer theater camps. The
mission of BHCT is to collaborate with our community to entertain, educate, and foster growth in the arts with
a vision to serve as a creative and educational home that is inclusive, transformative, and inspirational for the
entire community.