President Joe Biden will mark the Juneteenth holiday early with a concert on the White House South Lawn on Monday, featuring performances by Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle.
The White House event will also feature appearances by Raheem DeVaughn, Kirk Franklin, Doug E. Fresh, Anthony Hamilton, Patina Miller, Brittney Spencer, Trombone Shorty, Charlie Wilson, and Roy Wood, Jr. The concert occurs as the presidential election heats up, with Black voters being a crucial demographic.
Biden, a Democrat, enacted legislation in 2021 designating June 19, known as Juneteenth, as a federal holiday.
This date honors the 1865 announcement of freedom to the last enslaved people in the U.S., over two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War, freeing slaves in the Confederacy.
Juneteenth has been celebrated by generations of Black Americans, signifying the enforcement of emancipation in Texas after the Civil War.
In 2020, Biden secured 91% of the Black vote according to AP VoteCast.
