By Mona Austin
At a ceremony commemorating its first in-person Black History Month celebration at the White House, the Biden Harris Administration showcased the most Blacks serving in government leadership in history. Proudly seated front and center with President Joe Biden were Pentagon Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and others. Presidential Advisor Cedric Richardson was not seated on the stage but was recognized in the audience for his support in the administration. The White House posted a photo of the dozens of African Americans employees working at the campus. Their collective presence represents the high-level advancements of African Americans in the workplace that was not always possible in a nation that has racial discrimination built into its DNA. Bide has repeatedly stated that he wanted a staff that looked like America, reflecting its diverse population.
"I have appointed more Black women judges than any president in history," Pres. Biden pointed out, expressing particular appreciation for Black women voters, the voting block that accounts for the majority of votes that placed him in office. The 8 Black women judges he appointed in one year is more than the total who have served ever.
Black History Month is more than a celebration. It’s a powerful, powerful reminder that Black history is American history. Black culture is American culture. Black stories are essentially an ongoing story of America.
I see it every day with the Vice President and the incredible job she’s doing. PRES. JOSEPH ROBINETTE BIDEN, FEB. 28, 2022
Vice President Kamala Harris stated the importance of embracing Black history which has also been under attack by anti-CRT (Critical Race Theory) detractors and people seeking to cancel the teaching of all forms of American history in classrooms.
“Black History Month was established to teach the history that too often has not been taught - the history of Black excellence and leadership in America,” Harris said.
“And we are clear,” she said. “Black history is American history. It is living, breathing history.”
More than 46 years after Pres. Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, Pres. Joe Biden, who served alongside the first Black president, embraced those gathered in the East Room with a sense of belonging. He understood the cultural respect associated with the "Divine 9" (Black Greek letter organizations) and the affinity for HBCU's which he played up in crowd-pleasing remarks.
Cateo Hilton, who mentors younger students in Washington and will attend Delaware State University - news that prompted a standing ovation from the president, who grew up in Delaware. While the event recognized the progress the nation has made the leaders also noted the loose ends related to the Black agenda. The Pres. and Vice Pres. Kamala Harris who First Lady Jill Biden introduced as the historic first but not last Black woman in the position, pushed for the confirmation of recent Supreme Court nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, Black maternal health, continuing the fist for voting rights and other issues.
The room was filled with members of the congressional Black Caucus and clergy joined by civil rights icons Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev Jesse Jackson, who was seated in a wheelchair. He has Parkinson Disease and took an extended time to recover form the Coronavirus in 2021.
A DC high schooler named Cateo Hilton sat in the first seat as the guest speaker. He spoke about a monitoring program he'd been apart of since the age of 4 where he now mentors younger students. The audience rose in a standing ovations when he stated he will be attending the HBCU, Delaware State University. President Biden responded with pride in the news that he selected a school in his birth state.
The First Lady's office partnered museums for an exhibit of Black history artifacts that were displayed in the basement of the White House for a week along the “Hall of First Ladies,” One of the items was Shirley Chisholms bid for the presidency. Chisholm was the first Black woman to run for president and an inspiration for Vice President Harris. Fine China form the Obama Administration was also on display.
FLOTUS Biden observed, "There is so much love in this room" as she opened up the ceremony. She got a rise out of the audience when she recognized Derrick Jones, AKA DJ D Nice, in the audience for keeping the nation entertained during the pandemic. "I was a party of one," she said poking fun at the president's absent dance skills.
D Nice later did a special edition of Club Quarantine Live from the White House after being introduced by VPOTUS Harris which said she and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were entertained by in the early stages of the pandemic, while dancing alone in the apartment.
The tone of the celebration was light hearted, Biden has still retained a congenial relationship with Black lawmakers even though his best efforts to enact laws that were significant to their constituents have not manifested. There was a sense of awareness that Democrats have more promises to keep as Blacks continue to face racial angst in American society that some experts say is a digression to the stormy past.