President Biden on Monday marked the upcoming June holiday with a concert on the White House lawn, sounding a celebratory note while warning about GOP-led efforts to roll back the rights of Black Americans.
Biden, Vice President Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and dozens of federal and state lawmakers gathered on the South Lawn for a concert that featured performances by Kirk Franklin, Gladys Knight, Trombone Shorty, Doug E. Fresh and Patti Labelle.
“The White House lawn has never seen anything like this before,” Biden noted, calling it “a fitting tribute to Juneteenth.”
Biden, in 2021, signed legislation that made June 16 a federal holiday. The holiday marks the end of slavery in the United States. It is celebrated every year on June 19, when the last enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation.
Amid the jubilation and dancing at the White House, Biden warned of “old ghosts in new clothes trying to take us back.”
“Taking away their freedoms, making it harder for black people to vote or have their vote counted. Closing doors of opportunity, attacking the values of diversity, equity and inclusion. If you can believe it, banning books about the black experience,” Biden said. .
“Trying to erase and rewrite history,” he continued. “Our story isn’t just about the past, it’s about our present and our future. It’s whether that future is a future for all of us, not just some of us.”
The White House announced new initiatives to preserve Black history on Monday, just days before June 19th.
The president and his reelection campaign have repeatedly credited Black voters with securing Biden’s victory in 2020. Last month, the president visited Philadelphia, where he specifically sought to contrast his record of investing in the Black community with that of former President Trump.
A poll published last month conducted by The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer found that Biden led Trump among Black voters, 63% to 23%, which would represent a significant decrease from his 2020 margins.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
