Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
On June 14, President Joe Biden threw a massive concert on the White House Lawn to celebrate Juneteenth, the nation’s newest federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
In honor of the historic holiday, President Biden enlisted EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson to perform during the ceremony. The talk show host and actress gave a soul stirring performance of “A Change is Gonna come” and “Glory.”
At one point, the 80-year-old President could be seen wiping tears away as he stood and watched the Chicago native belt out both of the iconic Black songs.
Tony Award winner Audra McDonald also took to the stage and wowed the audience with an opera rendition of “Summertime.”
A few hours later, attendees sprang out of their seats and began dancing to The Broadway Inspirational Voices Choir as they evoked the holy spirit during their performance. The high-energy church moment had people talking up a storm on Twitter.
Users also got a kick out of Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth.”
The 96-year-old social activist took to the stage urging young Americans to band together and fight back against the job insecurity and climate change crisis burdening the country.
“And if we don’t do something about it, we all going to hell in a handbasket,” Lee said right before Vice President Kamala Harris rushed her off the stage.
We got to say, there were no lies detected in Mrs. Lee’s speech, okay!
On the other hand, a few people online weren’t too impressed by the White House’s Juneteenth celebration. Controversial author Dr. Boyce Watkins slammed the Biden Administration for prioritizing the event over reparations. A few other Twitter users felt like the concert was “performative.”
Before the jammed packed ceremony began, Biden and Harris reflected on the impact that Juneteenth has made on America since he established the federal holiday in 2021.
“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.”
Harris gushed about how the occasion was a historic time to “honor Black excellence, culture and community.”
“America is a promise — a promise of freedom, liberty and justice,” the Vice President added, according to the Associated Press. “The story of Juneteenth as we celebrate it is a story of our ongoing fight to realize that promise. Not for some, but all.”
If you missed it, watch the full Juneteenth concert below.
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