Biden celebrates Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, at the White House
Biden celebrates Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday, at the White House
Guests respond as Broadway Inspirational Voices performs during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Audra McDonald performs during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Opal Lee to the stage during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Guests listen during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Opal Lee to the stage during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Guests respond as Broadway Inspirational Voices performs during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Guests respond as Broadway Inspirational Voices performs during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Audra McDonald performs during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Audra McDonald performs during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Opal Lee to the stage during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Opal Lee to the stage during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Guests listen during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Guests listen during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Opal Lee to the stage during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes Opal Lee to the stage during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Opal Lee is considered the grandmother of Juneteenth. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden hosted a massive concert on the South Lawn of the White House to commemorate Juneteenth, the country’s newest federal holiday which the president said will “breathe a new life in the very essence of America.”
“To me, making Juneteenth a federal holiday wasn’t just a symbolic gesture. It was a statement of fact for this country to acknowledge the origin of the original sin of slavery, to understand the war was never fought over it, it wasn’t just about a union, but it was most fundamentally about the country and freedom.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said Juneteenth is an occasion to “honor Black excellence, culture and community.”
“America is a promise — a promise of freedom, liberty and justice,” Harris said. “The story of Juneteenth as we celebrate it is a story of our ongoing fight to realize that promise. Not for some, but all.”
The concert also commemorated Black Music Month, and featured artists such as Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and singer and talk show host Jennifer Hudson.
In 2021, Biden signed bipartisan legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. The holiday marks the date when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free — which occurred June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers told enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, news of their freedom.