President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and the rest of the White House staff are preparing to host its first-ever will Juneteenth concert next week to celebrate the new federal holiday honoring “community, culture and music.”
The much anticipated concert will take place on the South Lawn of the White House and will include performances by entertainment A-listers including singers, actors and even HBCU bands.
In 2021, President Biden signed bipartisan legislation establishing Juneteenth as the nation’s newest Federal holiday, so that all Americans can feel the power of this day, learn from our history, celebrate our progress, and recognize and engage in the work that continues.
President Biden has worked to advance racial equity and ensure the promise of America for Black Americans. The concert celebration will also take place during Black Music Month, where the Biden-Harris Administration will uplift American art forms that sing to the soul of the American experience.
Confirmed appearances will be made by the following artists:
Audra McDonald
Broadway Inspirational Voices
Cliff “Method Man” Smith
Colman Domingo
Fisk Jubilee Singers
Hampton University Concert Choir
Jennifer Hudson
Ledisi
Maverick City Music
Morgan State University Marching Band – The Magnificent Marching Machine
Nicco Annan
Patina Miller
Step Afrika!
Tennessee State University Marching Band – Aristocrat of Bands
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band
Juneteenth finally became a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in June 2021. The initial issue for the holiday was documented in 1865 by Major General Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for slaves in the state of Texas but it wasn’t until 1980 that the state legally recognized the holiday. It took an additional twenty years for the rest of the country to recognize Juneteenth. Deriving it’s name from combining June and nineteenth, Juneteenth has also been referred to as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day and Black Independence Day.
