At the White House: Black History Month Celebrations Continue

President Obama and First Lady Michelle continue Black History Month celebrations at the White House. Earlier this month the first lady hosted a dance workshop with iconic dancers Judith Jamison and Debbie Allen, who at the age of 60 can still kick quite a high heel. Celebrating African American women in dance the East Room was transformed into a stage where 50 young school girls performed an array of dance routines later that evening.

On Monday the Black History recognitions continued when the cast, writers and executive producers of Underground descended upon the White House. Underground explores the extraordinary feats of heroism and genius of America's captive Africans as they fought daily for respect, human dignity, and above all - freedom - from American slave holders.

The cast of Underground poses for a group picture before attending the screening and discussion of the television series shown on the WGN network beginning March, 9. Photo/CD Brown.

The television series stars Aldis Hodge, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Alano Miller, Chris Meloni, Amirah Vann and Jessica de Gouw. It is executive produced by music icon John Legend along with Anthony Hemingway and Akiva Goldsman and written and created by Misha Green.

Underground airs March 9 on the WGN America network. For more information please visit http://wgnamerica.com/series/Underground.

White House honors Ray Charles

On Wednesday, the White House honored music legend Ray Charles, summing up the final In Performance series of the Obama Administration. The event included music heavy weights Yolanda Adams, Leon Bridges, Andra Day, Anthony Hamilton, Brittany Howard, Demi Lovato, Sam Moore, Jussie Smollett (brother of Jurnee Smollett-Bell), The Band Perry, Usher and music director Rickey Minor.

From the White House:

“Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House” will be the sixteenth such program during President Barack Obama’s administration. From February 2009 to the most recent broadcast in January 2016, these “In Performance at the White House” events have honored the musical genius of Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Hal David and Carole King; celebrated Hispanic musical heritage during Hispanic Heritage Month; marked Black History Month with events featuring the music of Motown, Memphis Soul, the Blues, and from the Civil Rights Movement; explored the rich roots of Gospel and Country music; spotlighted Broadway and the unique spirit of the American musical; and paid tribute to the cultural resonance of art and literature in unique American musical forms.

“Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House” will be broadcast Friday, February 26, 2016 at 9:00 PM ET on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings). The program will also be simulcast on cable channel TV One.

YouTube has it all over
Even though the tribute will air this Friday, you can see snippets leaked on You Tube. From the YT sight simply search 'Ray Charles tribute' to find gems like the one below.

Inventions of African Americans

In wake of the Zika virus, travel, spring break still O.K.

Representatives from the CDC and the NIH were on hand at the White House during Monday's press briefing to update the public and address concerns over the Zika virus that has caused some babies to be born with deformities. Dr. Anne Schuchat from the Centers for Disease Control and Dr. Tony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health told reporters that a vaccine is in the making. The pair also said they are particulary concerned about women who are pregnant, or plan to get pregnant, who have either traveled to or plan to travel to areas of South America and the Carribean known to have the Zika virus. Despite those bold statements, the doctors said there is no wide-spread concern and that Americans should continue to travel, including during upcoming college spring breaks -- when college students travel to warmer climate destinations to escape winter weather. "Travel to Zika-affected areas is very common among Americans, and we don’t think that needs to stop&quo

President Biden's EV Agenda

Electric Vehicles President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda is Unleashing a Manufacturing and Clean Energy Boom and Accelerating the Production of Affordable Electric Vehicles As part of President Biden’s goal of having 50 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030, the White House is announcing the first set of public and private commitments to support America's historic transition to electric vehicles (EV) under the EV Acceleration Challenge. These commitments are part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda to spur domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, boost U.S. competitiveness and create good-paying jobs. Because of President Biden’s leadership and historic investments, electric vehicle sales have tripled and the number of publicly available charging ports has grown by over 40 percent since he took office. There are now more than three million EVs on the road and over 135,000 public EV chargers across the country. President

President Biden discusses America's economy during July 4th address to military families.

"Our Economy is the strongest in the world." " . .. Our economy is growing, but not without pain. Liberty is under assault -- assault both here and abroad. In recent days, there's been reason to think that this country is moving backward, that freedom is being reduced, that rights we assumed were protected are no longer. A reminder that we remain in an ongoing battle for the soul of America, as we have for over 200 years. 4th of July photo courtesy of - the Internet. I know it can be exhausting and unsettling. But tonight, I want you to know we're going to get through all of this -- for all that we have faced, that we are going to get through this, and look how far we've come. We're reclaiming our way of life in a pandemic. Vaccines are nearly available to every American, restrictions lifted, the Fourth of July together again at the White House. And for all the challenges, America has the strongest economy in the world. More people are wo

Politics. On Point.

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