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United Press International

White House to host Juneteenth concert

Ehren Wynder
2 min read
Singer and actress Patina Miller will return to this year's Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI
Singer and actress Patina Miller will return to this year's Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI
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June 7 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden plans to host a Juneteenth concert Monday on the White House's South Lawn.

The White House in a statement issued Friday said the concert will be a "celebration of community, culture and music" and coincides with Black Music Month, which the Biden-Harris administration will use to highlight Black music's influence on American culture.

The Juneteenth concert will feature appearances from Raheem DeVaughn, Kirk Franklin, Doug E. Fresh, Anthony Hamilton, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Patina Miller, Brittney Spencer, Trombone Shorty, Charlie Wilson, Roy Wood, Jr. and "The President's Own" United States Marine Band.

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Biden in 2021 signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act proclaiming June 19, the official date of the end of slavery, as a federal-level holiday.

At the time, Biden called the signing "one of the greatest honors" of his presidency.

Vice President Kamala Harris recognizes Opal Lee, also known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, during last year's Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI
Vice President Kamala Harris recognizes Opal Lee, also known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth, during last year's Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI

It was on June 19, 1865, when the last remnants of slavery in America ended as federal troops disembarked in Galveston, Texas, and spread the news of 1863's Emancipation Proclamation.

Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980, and the first proposal to make it a federal holiday was brought to the Senate in 1996.

Dance group Step Afrika! performs during last year's Juneteenth concert at the White House. File Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA
Dance group Step Afrika! performs during last year's Juneteenth concert at the White House. File Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA

Juneteenth is the 12th established federal holiday and the first since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983.

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