(CNN)Next to CNN’s inauguration “Junitin: A Global Celebration of Freedom” Concert, 95-year-old activist Opal LeeShe told CNN’s Don Lemon, who has struggled for years to make Juninth a federal holiday, that she was “tweaking herself.”
“I want you to know that it’s annoying to think we’re really on vacation,” she said.
Lee, “is considered the grandmother of Chi Junitinava“For her activism, she will also be honored during CNN’s Junitheth program. African Americans in captivity in Galveston, Texas, walk 2.5 miles as a symbol of two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s release.
Junitith – i.e., June 19 – commemorates the end of slavery in the US. Lee said Americans must continue to celebrate the holiday, learn and learn and grow.
“We have a lawyer who celebrates from June 19 to July 4,” she said. “That Will celebrate independence. “
Sunday’s concert will feature performances by black artists, including Earth, Wind and Fire, and Chaka Khan. Mickey Gaiton And roots.
The event will also feature President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Scott, who will present the spoken word.
The entire creative team behind the concert is black, CNN’s Sarah Sidner reported before the event, which includes Live Nation Urban and Sean Gee, producer of Jesse Collins Entertainment. Sidner said that for the first time tonight, the All-Black Orchestra, a re-collective orchestra, will play the Bowl of Hollywood.
This is the second year the U.S. has recognized Juventus as a federal holiday, but the date has been honored by many black Americans for years, including parades, parties, and family gatherings. This holiday is also an opportunity to reflect on the systemic inequalities that plague black Americans.