Karu F. Daniels | New York Daily News
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are kicking off the Juneteenth holiday early by celebrating Black Excellence at The White House on Tuesday night.
A concert scheduled to stream live on YouTube at 7 p.m. ET will feature performances and appearances by EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, hip-hop superstar Method Man, Grammy winner Ledisi and gospel group Maverick City Music.
Also slated to appear on the South Lawn are Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo, the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, the Step Afrika! dance troupe and marching bands from historically black colleges and universities in Maryland and Tennessee.
Juneteenth — also known as Emancipation Day — honors June 19, 1865, when federal troops brought the news of freedom to a group of enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth was officially made a Texas state holiday on Jan. 1, 1980. However, it wasn’t recognized as a federal holiday until 2021 when Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris — the first woman, Asian-American and Black person to serve as VP.
“Throughout history, Juneteenth has been known by many names: Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Liberation Day, Emancipation Day, and today, a national holiday,” Harris said during the White House East Room signing ceremony.
“We are gathered here in a house built by enslaved people. We are footsteps away from where President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation,” she continued. “We have come far, and we have far to go. But today is a day of celebration. It is not only a day of pride. It’s also a day for us to reaffirm and rededicate ourselves to action.”
All federal buildings, banks and legitimate businesses honor their employees and mark Juneteenth as a paid holiday.
