Biden, in early Juneteenth party, vows to keep fighting for Black
Americans' freedoms
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[June 11, 2024]
By Andrea Shalal and Jarrett Renshaw
(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
celebrated the Juneteenth holiday early on Monday with a White House
concert that included singers Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle and rapper
Doug E. Fresh.
Biden signed a law in 2021 that made June 19, or Juneteenth, a federal
holiday. It commemorates the day in 1865 - after the Confederate states
surrendered to end the Civil War - when a Union general arrived in
Galveston, Texas, to inform a group of enslaved African Americans of
their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation
Proclamation.
"Black history is American history," Biden told the nearly 1,700 people
in attendance. He said he would continue to fight for the rights of
Black Americans even as some political leaders were working to take away
their hard-won freedoms.
"The day reminds us that we have a helluva lot more work to do," said
Biden. "Let's keep marching. Let's keep the faith."
Long a regional holiday in the U.S. South, Juneteenth rose in prominence
across the country following 2020 protests over the police killings of
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other Black Americans.
Comedian and actor Roy Wood, Jr emceed the event, praising Biden and
Harris for helping the Black community, including through lower
prescription drug prices, expanded health care for veterans, investments
in Black colleges and student debt relief.
He interspersed the musical program with brief history lessons, touching
on Jim Crow laws that restricted civil liberties for Black Americans
after the end of slavery.
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Billy Porter gestures during a Juneteenth concert hosted by U.S.
President Joe Biden on the South Lawn at the White House in
Washington, D.C., U.S. June 10, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Harris also spoke, saying this year's Juneteenth holiday would be a
day of action for voting rights. She returned to the stage later for
an unplanned dance with gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
Fresh asked guests to raise their mobile phones and turn their
lights on to commemorate the many African-Americans who did not
survive enslavement, illuminating the South Lawn of the White House
as the sun set over Washington.
Biden sat in the front row throughout the concert, listening raptly
and clapping along, but not getting to his feet along with many in
the audience who stood and dance for nearly two hours.
Others who appeared at the White House party included singer and
songwriter Raheem DeVaughn, singer and songwriter Anthony Hamilton,
singer and actress Patina Miller, country singer and songwriter
Brittney Spencer, jazz musician Trombone Shorty and the singer and
songwriter Charlie Wilson.
The White House event comes during a heated presidential election in
which Black voters are likely to play a central role in the rematch
between Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Biden frequently credits Black Americans for his 2020 win, but polls
show that these same voters may not be as enthusiastic this
November. Minor changes in political loyalties or low turnout in key
states could influence who wins in November.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Stephen
Coates)
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