    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 31, 2002]
    [Pages 913-915]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Celebration of African American Music, History, and Culture
    May 31, 2002

        The President. Good afternoon, and welcome to the people's house,
    the White House. Laura and I are so very pleased that you all came, and
    we're glad to see you. We had a wonderful time marking Black Music Month
    last year, and we had some pretty strong company--James Brown, Lionel
    Hampton, Shirley Caesar, the Four Tops--and we've got some great names
    with us today as well. And you're welcome. And we're looking forward to
    a fine afternoon, celebrating music loved by all the world and born
    right here in America.
        I want to thank Laura for escorting me in
    today. [Laughter] I appreciate so very much our Secretary of Education,
    Mr. Rod Paige. Thank you for being here,
    Rod. He

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    carries a heavy burden, and that is to work with school districts and
    folks all around our country to achieve this noble goal: Every child
    educated in America--I mean every child--and not one child left behind.
        Dr. Bobby Jones is with us. I'm honored to
    welcome Bobby back. He was here for the gospel tribute, February 2002,
    and what a tribute that was. It was a fantastic evening.
        Dr. Jones. We shouted the roof off.
        The President. Yes, we did. [Laughter]
        I appreciate the members of the Presidential Commission on the
    African American Museum of History and Culture; I'll speak a little bit
    about that in a second. Thank you all for coming.
        Afterwards, there's a reception where the Robert E. Lee High School
    Chorale of Midland, Texas, will be singing. And what makes that
    interesting and important is that's the high school Laura graduated from. [Laughter] And so did Tommy
    Franks.
        I want to thank all the artists and record label representatives of
    the entertainment industry who are with us today. Thanks for being here.
        Today we'll be entertained by the famed Show Choir from the Duke
    Ellington School of the Arts. They're the bearers of one of America's
    oldest and finest musical legacies. We thank them for sharing their
    gifts, and of course, they're welcome here to the White House.
        We've also got some royalty with us, a woman known as the Queen of
    Gospel. For more than six decades--for more than six decades--I probably
    wasn't supposed to say that--[laughter]--since her first performance in
    Chicago's West Point Baptist Church, Albertina Walker has lifted the hearts everywhere.
        I reminded Albertina that my middle
    name was Walker. [Laughter] She now calls me ``Cousin.'' [Laughter] She
    reminded--her brother's name is George Walker. [Laughter] I call him
    ``W.'' [Laughter]
        But if you give this woman a song of
    praise, a song like ``Lord, Keep Me Day By Day'' or ``He Keeps On
    Blessing Me'' or ``Yes, God Is Real,'' you'll hear it like it was meant
    to be sung. Not since her friend and mentor Mahalia Jackson was last
    recorded has the good news sounded so convincing and so sweet. We're
    honored you're here, ``Cousin.'' [Laughter] Welcome to the White House.
        In the history of Black music, some of the finest moments have taken
    place right here in this house. Among the first Black soloists to
    perform in the White House was the daughter of a slave; Sissieretta
    Jones sang ballads for three Presidents, including McKinley and
    Roosevelt. President Taft hosted the violinist Joseph
    Douglass, who was an ancestor of one
    of our guests today, Frederick Douglass IV. Welcome. Good to see you,
    sir.
        The first Black choir to sing here was the Jubilee Singers from Fisk
    University. That happened over 120 years ago, during a time when America
    wasn't a very hospitable place for a lot of Americans. After all, the
    kids couldn't find a hotel room in which to stay. The next day they were
    welcomed here by President Chester A. Arthur and touched him deeply with
    their rendition of the old spiritual ``Safe in the Arms of Jesus.''
        The spiritual has always had that power to move--to move many
    Americans. And they always will. The people who first sang them and
    taught them to their children knew the worst of human cruelty and
    earthly injustice. In their songs we hear the pain of separation, the
    bitterness of oppression, the troubles of the world. We also hear the
    courage of a soul, the strength of a faith, and the trust in God, who
    will right every wrong and wipe away every tear.
        Over many generations, in song both mournful and joyful, the music
    of Black America has created sounds like no other in America. From the
    deep South of another era to New Orleans to Chicago to

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    Harlem, Black musicians have set a standard for originality and
    authenticity.
        Someone once described Louis Armstrong's music as always real and
    true, honest and simple and noble. The same may be said of Black music
    in so many forms, and the artists who compose it and play it and sing it
    with such style. How much richer we are to have known the voices of Nat
    ``King'' Cole and Lena Horne, Diana Ross, Duke Ellington and their
    orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie on the horn, superb arrangements of Quincy
    Jones. America's a richer place for it.
        The music varies widely and keeps changing, while incredible talent
    keeps coming on. Yet, there is a continuous theme: Black music is the
    sound of experience, written, as Stevie Wonder
    would say, ``in the key of life.''
        For a long time, many citizens have hoped to see a museum in
    Washington that conveys the experience of African Americans. I'm pleased
    that Congress has authorized a Presidential commission, which I take
    very seriously, to take us closer to the goal of building a National
    Museum of African American History and Culture. I hope the museum, when
    it's built, will remind visitors of both the suffering and the triumph,
    the hurt that was overcome, the barriers that are being cast away.
        In the Black American experience, there has been a lot of pain, and
    America must recognize that. There's been progress, too, and there needs
    to be more. And always, there will be faith that mankind must be called
    to a higher calling--to be kind and just, if only he would follow what
    Martin Luther King, Jr., called the soul-saving music of eternity. The
    music and culture of Black Americans has brought great beauty into this
    world. Today, it brings great pride to our country. And for the
    contributions so many of you have made to that legacy, your fellow
    Americans are very grateful.
        I want to thank you for being here. And it is now my honor to bring
    to this podium the Queen herself, Albertina Walker.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to gospel artist Bobby Jones; and
    Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA, Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command. The
    Black Music Month proclamation of May 31 is listed in Appendix D at the
    end of this volume.