President Joe Biden on Monday night hosted an early Juneteenth celebration at the White House, the second time his administration has held a concert to commemorate the national holiday marking when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were freed.
In remarks on the South Lawn, the president warned of “old ghosts in new garments trying to take us back,” condemning what he described as efforts to limit the right to vote or erase Black history via book bans in states across the country.
“Our history is not just about the past,” the president said. “It’s about our present and our future. It’s whether that future is a future for all of us, not just for some of us.”
“Black history is American history,” Biden declared.
Monday’s event marked the second time the Biden administration has celebrated the holiday with a concert. It comes after Biden in 2021 signed into law the establishment of Juneteenth as the nation’s 12th federal holiday to commemorate the day in 1865 when Union troops descended on Galveston, Texas, to bring the news that those enslaved were free — more than two years after then-President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The event featured iconic singers Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle, as well as comedian Roy Wood Jr. serving as the night’s emcee. Other guests included musical artists Kirk Franklin, Doug E. Fresh, Anthony Hamilton, Patina Miller, Trombone Shorty, Charlie Wilson and Brittney Spencer, who was featured on Beyoncé's most recent album, “Cowboy Carter.”
Franklin, a gospel singer, briefly pulled Vice President Kamala Harris — the nation’s first Black vice president — on stage to dance.
Coinciding with Monday’s events, the White House also announced that the National Endowment for the Humanities is creating a program that will designate new funding across the country focused on efforts to teach and promote African American history. The money will go toward traveling museum exhibits, workshops, lectures and more in the leadup to the 160th anniversary of Juneteenth.
Meanwhile, the White House also noted that from June 18 to 20 this year, the National Archives Museum will display the original Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 and the National Park Service will allow free entrance to park service sites on June 19.
The event comes as the 2024 presidential election is coming into full swing, with Biden’s opponent, former President Donald Trump, boasting that Black voters, who have traditionally voted Democratic, are moving into his camp. Biden won 91% of Black voters in 2020, per AP VoteCast.
