The White House's Juneteenth celebration includes a concert: Who will perform?
The "Godmother of Soul," Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight are among the performers at this year's Juneteenth concert, which President Joe Biden will host on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday evening.
This year celebrates the second White House Juneteenth concert following the bipartisan legislation signed by Biden in 2021, which designated June 19 as the first new federal holiday since the creation of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday 41 years ago, in 1983.
The concert also coincides with Black Music Month, also known as African American Music Appreciation Month, which has been recognized by U.S. presidents since 1979. This month-long celebration of Black music and its impact on American music and music worldwide takes place every June.
Juneteenth commemorates the day when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas on June 19, 1865, with 2,000 Union troops to proclaim that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free —two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
Who is performing this year?
Along with LaBelle and Knight, this year's performers include Brittney Spencer, an American country singer recently featured on Beyoncé's recent album, Cowboy Carter, and R&B artist and 'There Goes My Baby' singer Charlie Wilson.
There will also be performances from singer-songwriter Raheem DeVaughn, gospel singer Kirk Franklin, rapper Doug E. Fresh, singer-songwriter Anthony Hamilton, actress and singer Patina Miller, musician Trombone Shorty, comedian Roy Wood, Jr., and the U.S. Marine Band.
To commemorate Juneteenth, the National Archives Museum announced it will display the original Emancipation Proclamation and General Order No. 3 from June 18 – June 20, 2024.
The National Park Service (NPS) announced Free Entrance Days in the National Parks, where all visitor entrance fees will be waived at Park Service sites for Juneteenth on June 19, 2024.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside the White House Juneteenth Concert: Who will take the stage?
