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STORY: :: Biden celebrates Juneteenth, honoring civil rights activists with the Medal of Freedom

:: June 10, 2024

:: Washington, D.C.

"I just returned from France, where I visited the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which was the first step in liberating all of Europe and made a change in civilization. On that hallowed ground I spoke about a brave American soldier who fought tyranny for the hope of freedom and democracy."

"One of those soldiers of a Red Ball Express who fought fought for freedom on a distant shores, was a civil rights lawyer who fought for freedom here at home. 61 years ago this week, he was gunned down at home in Mississippi in the poison of white supremacy. But all these years later, his spirit endures. You all know his name was Medgar Evers. Last month, I awarded Medgar Evers, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest civilian honor posthumously. Because life reminds us reminds us of our chains. We have to keep redeeming the soul of America. Folks, that's what Juneteenth is all about. That's why I awarded the Medal of Freedom to miss Opal Lee as well, the grandmother of Juneteenth."

Vice president Harris said a a national day of action on voting would be held on June 19.

Biden signed a law in 2021 that made June 19, or Juneteenth, a federal holiday. It commemorates the day in 1865 - after the Confederate states surrendered at end the Civil War - when a Union general arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform a group of enslaved African Americans of their freedom under President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

Long a regional holiday in the U.S. South, Juneteenth rose in prominence across the country following 2020 protests over the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other Black Americans.

The White House event comes during a heated presidential election in which Black voters are likely to play a central role in the rematch between Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump.

Biden frequently credits Black Americans for his 2020 win, but polls show that these same voters may not be as enthusiastic this November. Minor changes in political loyalties or low turnout in key states could influence who wins in November.