Biden shares message of unity and action during Juneteenth celebration at historic Black church
Former President Joe Biden celebrated Juneteenth on Thursday at a historic Black church in Texas, calling for Americans to come together to push the country forward.
'I don't come here today to only commemorate the past. I come here because we know the good Lord isn't done with us yet,' Biden said, adding, 'We have work to do. We need to keep pushing America forward.'
'We're the United States of America,' Biden said. 'There's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we act together.'
Biden's remarks at the historic Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas, come nearly four years after he made Juneteenth a national holiday — the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Biden said he was 'very proud' to sign the bipartisan legislation.
'It made me proud. Proud that we were united,' Biden said. 'Proud, despite all our differences, we can still come together for things that matter most.'
Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery, commemorating the day Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston and told a group of slaves that the Civil War had ended and they were free — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
'Juneteenth is a day of liberation, a day of remembrance and a day of celebration,' Biden said. 'Juneteenth represents both the long and hard night of slavery and subjugation and the promise of joyful morning to come.'
'Our federal holidays say … who we are as Americans,' Biden later added. 'What we celebrate says what we value.'
President Donald Trump — who has not signed a proclamation this year observing Juneteenth — took to social media on Thursday to criticize the number of non-working holidays in the United States.
'Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding, 'It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'
Trump's post comes as he continues to make the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs a centerpiece of his second administration, ordering a ban on DEI programs in federal agencies on his first day in office.
Without mentioning Trump by name, Biden reflected on the nation's history and the current political climate.
'We need to be honest about our history,' Biden said on Thursday, pointing to 'efforts to erase history from our textbooks and our classrooms.'
Biden's administration — which came in the aftermath of widespread protests against racial injustice following George Floyd's killing in 2020 — embraced diversity and DEI efforts. Biden ran alongside the first Black, South Asian and woman vice president in 2020, and he had the most racially diverse presidential Cabinet in US history. Biden also nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman Supreme Court justice.
Biden also signed legislation to rename nine military bases that were named after Confederate leaders. The Trump administration has since moved to restore the names of each of the bases.
Biden's Thursday remarks come two months after his office announced that the former president, 82, has been diagnosed with an 'aggressive form' of prostate cancer that spread to his bones.
Late last month, the former president struck an optimistic tone when he spoke publicly for the first time about his cancer diagnosis, telling reporters: 'We're going to be able to beat this.'
He similarly ended on an energized chord Thursday, telling the churchgoers in Galveston, 'Let's get the hell to work and get more done.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
On Juneteenth, Trump says the US has 'too many' holidays
Trump criticized the number of American holidays and claimed they cost billions in productivity. The post was made on Juneteenth, a federal holiday that Trump previously supported. Joe Biden later said making it a federal holiday was "one of the proudest moments of my presidency." Joe Biden has reiterated his support for Juneteenth as a federal holiday, after Donald Trump said America has "too many" of them. "Too many non-working holidays in America," Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed." The president said that the frequency of holidays "must change" and that workers didn't want them, either. "The workers don't want it either!" he continued. "Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Juneteenth, held on June 19 every year, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and has long been celebrated by Black Americans. It became the 11th federal holiday in 2021 with a law signed by then-President Joe Biden. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, receiving unanimous approval in the Senate and all but 14 votes in the House of Representatives. Biden later posted on X that he had celebrated the day in Texas and that making Juneteenth a federal holiday was "one of the proudest moments of my presidency." "It's a day of liberation. It's a day of remembrance. And it's a day of celebration. Today, it was an honor to be in Galveston where freedom rang out 160 years ago," he said. The White House press office didn't immediately respond to Business a request for comment from Business Insider regarding Trump's Truth Social post. Most federal offices, such as the US Postal Service, are closed during Juneteenth. Markets like the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange don't trade during the holiday, either. But whether private companies and state governments remain open varies. Most major banks are closed for the holiday, but not all companies provide paid time off. Earlier on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing that the White House was open. When asked by a journalist about commemorating Juneteenth, she said she was "not tracking" Trump's signature on any proclamations for the holiday. "I know this is a federal holiday," she said. "I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." Trump himself supported making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the wake of widespread protests following the killing of George Floyd. "Make Juneteenth a National Holiday" was included among his "Promise to Black America over 4 years" policy proposals in his 2020 presidential campaign. During that campaign, Trump took credit for publicizing Juneteenth after moving one of his rallies from June 19 to June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump told The Wall Street Journal at the time. "It's actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it." In the same interview, Trump expressed surprise that his administration had commemorated Juneteenth every year. "Oh really? We put out a statement? The Trump White House put out a statement?" he said, according to the Journal. "OK, OK. Good." The White House did not publish a statement on its website commemorating Juneteenth this year. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
President Trump says he'll set unilateral tariff rates within weeks
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he would send letters to trading partners in the next week or two, outlining unilateral tariff rates. 'We're going to be sending letters out in about a week and a half, two weeks, to countries, telling them what the deal is,' Trump said at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. 'At a certain point, we're just going to send letters out. And I think you understand that, saying this is the deal, you can take it or leave it,' he added. This would put Trump ahead of his tariff deadline, as the president previously paused so-called 'reciprocal' duties for 90 days until 8 July. The higher rates are set to kick in on the 9th. Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center that a delay to the deadline is unlikely, although US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously suggested there may be some flexibility. "It is highly likely that those countries - or trading blocs as is the case with the EU - who are negotiating in good faith, we will roll the date forward to continue the good-faith negotiations," Bessent told the House Ways and Means Committee. "If someone is not negotiating, then we will not." Related EU targets Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' over tax provision in tariff talks US federal appeals court rules Trump tariffs may remain in effect while appeals process continues The US has thus far only managed to secure a trade framework with the UK, as well as clinching a tariff deal with China. Trump was nonetheless upbeat about negotiations on Wednesday. "We're rocking in terms of deals," he said. "We're dealing with quite a few countries and they all want to make a deal with us." Following talks in London, Trump said on Wednesday that magnets and rare earths would be supplied up front by China and that the US would allow Chinese students into its colleges and universities. The president added that a 55% tariff would be applied to Chinese imports. A White House official, who was not authorised to discuss the terms publicly, said the 55% was not an increase on the previous 30% tariff on China because Trump was including other pre-existing import taxes. Specifically, the president was tallying up his 10% baseline tariff, the 20% fentanyl trafficking levy and a 25% pre-existing tariff on China. In May, the US agreed upon a trade framework with the UK, which allows US goods to be fast-tracked through customs and reduces trade barriers on a number of products. The framework lowers US duties on British steel, aluminum and cars, although there are some knots to work out, meaning the specifics of the deal could arrive later than the 9 July deadline. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Wednesday that a deal with the European Union will likely be among the final trade agreements concluded by the United States. 'I'm optimistic that we can get there with Europe. But Europe will be probably [at] the very, very end,' Lutnick told CNBC. In May, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on EU goods coming to the US, although he later said he would hold off on this threat until 9 July. The president originally placed a 20% so-called 'reciprocal' levy on EU goods, but this duty was lifted during the 90-day pause window. Sign in to access your portfolio
Wall Street Journal
16 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Oil Futures Diverge on U.S. Holiday Price Lag, Contract Expiration
Oil prices were mixed in European afternoon trade on Friday, with Brent crude down more than 2% to around $77 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate edging 0.7% higher to $74 a barrel. Brent futures fell after President Trump set a two-week deadline to decide whether the U.S. will strike Iran, easing fears of an imminent military intervention. The international oil benchmark had settled 2.8% higher on Thursday at $78.85, its highest close since January.
