nominees, resident biden and former president trump, face-off as they try to earn your vote ahead of the general election in november. our coverage bins at 8:00 p.m. eastern with a preview of what is to come and then at 9:00 p.m. simulcast of the cnn presidential debate. following thean as we take yourd get your reaction tohe first season. the cnn presidential debate live thursday, june 27 at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span two, c-span now or online at c-span.org. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. tune in tc- live coverage of the 2024 national political inventions starting wi the republican convention in milwaukee.

catch the democrats as they convene in chicago august 19. stay connected to c-span for an work -- of democracy at work. watch the republican and democratic national conventions this summer on c-span, c-span now or online at c-spaur unfiltf politics powered by cable. >> and juneteenth celebration commemorating the federal holiday. it is hosted by the national juneteenth observance foundation on the white house in washington,-- the white house en washington, d.c. >> hi, ladies and gentlemen. my name is samantha. i am the. first black miss the founder of hawaii for juneteenth.

legislation in hawaii to make juneteenth añ@ i am here represe national juneteenth observance foundation. we are here to celebrate juneteenth, to recognize our historand discuss how we can use it to successfully move forwto america. starting us off, we have dr. penny bwn. be doing the opening prayer and helpings juneteenth. dr. penny brown is the board of the education committee helping to educate everyone in america on the history of juneteenth. let's please wme dr. penny brown. dr. brown: thank you so much. i am dr. pen brown. i will be doing the opening prayer for the festivities today. i everyone be stile let's give e almighty what he is so rightfully due.

shelter in the time of storm, my prince■f peace, my hope in this harsh■fl)an bow before you this afterno and■ thank you for watching over us and taking care of us. this afternoon, -- this morning, you touched us and brought us er. gave us another day. thank you. . we realize as we now talk this morning when their names were answer. their voices were hushed. their gone back■" -- that gave it. not so with us. the sheet was not our winding sheet.

the bed we slept on was not our cooling board. you spared us and you gave us one more chance to pray. want to pause and thank you for forgiving our sins. forgive all of our wrongdoings. we don't deserve itlisten. you gave us another chance. i'm sorry. gave us another chance to pray. forbk this, we thank you. we thank you that you have given us this day. we thank you you have given us this time in history. you have given us the shoulders to stand on and for be in turn to lee gray full. when i -- will be in turn only grateful. when praying dayshen these knees have for the last time, when i too like all others must come■te battlefield of life, when i am through beinr

home and glory. when i come down to the river jordan, hold the river still and let your servant cross. i will be looking for that land where job wicked would ceasfrom there a thousand yearss by a day in eternity where i will meet with loved ones and i thee. can say with saints of hold, free at last, free at last. thing. thank god almighty. i am free at last. your prayer. amen. much. >>■ thank you so much, dr. penny brown. nextp wes taylor. dr. charles taylor is a published th juneteenth: a

celebration for freedom. the book that wasñ# u pass the juneteenth federal legislation. accompanying him as the reigning national miss■) juneteenth -- accompanying him is the reigning [national miss juneteenth. dr. taylor: we are going to explain the meaning of juneteenth by spelling out the word juneteenth. j. >> juneteenth represent the joy of freedom, the chance for a new beginning. unless we exposegkican experien, americans will not be truly free. >> never must we forget our endurance one of the worst slave experiences in human history. >> every american has benefited from the wealth created from over 200 years of free

labor. juneteenth allows us to acknowledge the debt. >> t. farm in slaveholding state to make your stay a juneteenth holiday state. >> e. >> everyday blacks are reminded of the of slavery. juneteenth counters that by reminding us of the promise of freedom. >> e. >> even on the journey to discover who we are, juneteenth allows us to reflect on where we have been, where we are at and where we are going as a people. >> n. >> never give up hope is the legacy of■ynslaved ancestors. it produced heroism during the civil war and launch the civil rights era. >> t. >> to proclaim for all the world to hear, human rights must never again become h. >> history books have told only a small part of the story.

jute gives us a chance to set the record straight, remember, freedom is always worth celebrating.thank you. thank you. 4>> you so much, dr. charles taylor. not related. xtve mr. eddie carver. eddie carver is responsible for bringing doc myers to mississippi, where he practiced medicine and opened his own practice. is the first black mayor of mississippi. and here■ú■ today, he is going o pay a tribute to docften credity widely known as the father of the modern juneteeh carther.

>> i would like to say good carther. i am from mississippi. back during the 1980's, i was doing a black history speec then elected the first black mayor in the state of mississippi. was at a black history program at the univey met the honorable myers. once i finished, he came up to asked, about coming to to look, mississippi, to practice medicine.

he had just graduated from the university. having said that, dr. myers came to to look, mississippi. at the time, i was a businessperson there. d a few buildings and stores that i owned. dr clinic into love, mississippi. ■'and there, he practiced medice and he moved to tula. i was to invite him there. at the time, a small city, about 3000 doctor. ers decided he would set up a practice there in tula mississippi. overthere, we have no

he provided a valuable service there in tula, practicing medicine. long story short, dr. myers visited tula, was a great 4yimpression, not only of the cy of tula of and he did a fantastic job, because there were a series of medicala. thank you, and y blyou. now arriving, we have parade he on washington. ♪

r+■5g[>> yil the house! ♪ >>,+nth. happy juneteenth, everybody. ♪

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[applause] ■á>> worked hand-in-hand with te doc myers, and the father of the modern juneteenth movement over 20 years. together and with the help of many board memlegislators, to pl that officially■ recognizes juneteenth as a title v national holiday. please>>all things juneteenth! all things, juneteenth! >>■v all things juneteenth! >> all things juneth! all thing! neteenth in america because freedom in for everybody

else started with juneteenth. rights, women's rights, human rights, rights, there was juneteenth. juneteenth led the way for everybody. 9qand everybody for everything. so, we come today -- we com dayo celebrate this, the celebration of freedom. juneteenth adds not a choice of whether the fourth of july or juneteenth. it is, as the words of our of july freed the land. juneteenth freed the people. the fourth of july freed the land. frjuneteenth freed the people fm the tyranny of slavery. both ent those who are doing the enslaving. it is an important time, an important in us as

americans to acknowledge the celebration of, so that we become americans first, not african-americans, not irish-americans, not mexican americans, spanish we are all a. that is whatjuneteenth was ushee united states color through thef galveston, aouncing all are free. they knew they were free already, but to see this example of black men in uniform wearing ass, buttons that said u.s. and guns on their shoulders was ch experience, that here we are 159 years lateb still celebrating it. we want every american to take a #u on. our common bond of freedom. freedom is the key thing. in the -- and erce that freedom, our pursuit of liberty, w great country for.

i want to thank the united ates cor i want to thank the ms. juneteenth schship progr today. i want to thank the national foundation boa o directors, the national parks service. it took a lot to get just this event the shows what unity can o amongst us all. as we go forward, through the rest of our celebration on this ■ day, i wanted to betty to remember, take your time, stay■ t heat, get some water, and enjoy yourselves. entertainment from people that are here, the legendary mr. hampton, mr. david baptiste. e a lot of great things happening. enjoy yourselves. amongst all -- among all, remember thatke celebration of freedom, a toget. i want to thank you all for coming out, and have a great, safe time.

[applause] >> so much. we are going to take a brief intermission. and then we will proceed with the virginia juneteenth theater group. thank you so muc ■o>> here more from members of congressn today's federal holiday, representative ayanna pressley of massachuses sted on x, happy juneteenths reflect on the emancipation of our ancestors and the worth■u let's take a momentoelebrate black joy, like history and black brilliance. i'm grateful to those who paved the way. washington, d.c. delegate delegate -- elinor holden said on juneteenth, i remember my great-grandfather, richard lmes, who as a sve, walked away from a plantation in

virginia and made his way to d.c. almost 200 years ago. i walk to freedom, but not equal7ñu' citizenship for d.c. residents, yet. ■yon tday,unee cnn presidential, simulcast live on c-span 2. watch as the two presumptive nomine, trump, fofon in november. our coe. at 9:00 p.m. eastern, our simulcast of the cnn idential debate. following the debate, stay with c-span as we take your and get your reaction to the first debate of the campaign. debate simulcast, live thursday, june 27 at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span app or online at c-span.org. c-span, your unfiltered view of

politics. tune into c-span's livehe 2024 l convention, starting with the republican's on july in chicagog off on august 19. stay to c-span for an uninterrupted and unfiltered glimpse of democracy at work. watch the republican and democratic national conventions, c-span now, our free mobile video■land online at c-span.org. c-span, your unfiltered view o . the reverend william barber, cochair of the poor people's campaign, met with faith leaders and advocates to discuss a mass march on the nation's capitol set for next