DID YOU KNOW June was officially declared ” Black Music Month by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. The month of June was dedicated to encourage people worldwide to pay tribute to African Americans for their musical contributions to culture and Society.
HOPE, FAITH AND HARMONY
During the Injustices of Slavery, African Americans lifted their hands and their eyes to the Heavens while singing spirituals which helped to keep them emotionally strong. Their faith through music gave them hope and because of their spirituality through voice the tradition of blending old harmony with various musical sound help to sustain them even through their darkest hours.
African American Music Appreciation Month
When Kenny Gamble, Dyana Williams and Ed Wright developed a plan to set aside a month to celebrate the impact black music had on our culture and society,a group of Music Business Insiders convinced President Carter to host a Dinner Reception on June 7, 1979 in recognition of the Cultural and Economic Contributions black music had made all over the world .* Their persistence paid off and In 2000, ” US-Representative Chaka Fattah sponsored House Resolution 509, which formally recognized the importance of Black music on culture and the economy during President Bill Clinton’s administration. In 2009, President Barack Obama further defined June as African American Music Appreciation Month declaring the start of summer as a celebration for all the black “musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters who’ve made enormous contributions to our culture.”
EVENTS
There are far too many event sites for Black Music Appreciation Month to name,but be sure to look for programs and concerts in your town and, even more important, support Black artists throughout the year! Also, check out some of the fun facts and features on the following sites:
Presidential Proclamation — African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2016:
On May 31st 2016 President Barack Obama released this Press Release:
“A vital part of our Nation’s proud heritage, African-American music exemplifies the creative spirit at the heart of American identity and is among the most innovative and powerful art the world has ever known. It accompanies us in our daily lives, and it has rung out at turning points in our history and demonstrated how our achievements as a culture go hand-in-hand with our progress as a Nation. During African-American Music Appreciation Month, we honor the artists who, through this music, bring us together, show us a true reflection of ourselves, and inspire us to reach for the harmony that lies beyond our toughest struggles.
Songs by African-American musicians span the breadth of the human experience and resonate in every corner of our Nation — animating our bodies, stimulating our imaginations, and nourishing our souls. In the ways they transform real stories about real people into art, these artists speak to universal human emotion and the restlessness that stirs within us all. African-American music helps us imagine a better world, and it offers hope that we will get there together.
This month, we celebrate the music that reminds us that our growth as a Nation and as people is reflected in our capacity to create great works of art. Let us recognize the performers behind this incredible music, which has compelled us to stand up — to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country’s enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2016 as African-American Music Appreciation Month. I call upon public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and foster appreciation of music that is composed, arranged, or performed by African Americans.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth. “
BARACK OBAMA
* nmaam.org/black-music-monthly 06/01/16
www.whitehouse.gov-Office of the Press Secretary,May 31,2016