Text 4872, 134 rader
Skriven 2007-06-22 23:30:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0706226) for Fri, 2007 Jun 22
====================================================

===========================================================================
President Bush Celebrates Black Music Month at the White House
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 22, 2007

President Bush Celebrates Black Music Month at the White House The East
Room

˙ /news/releases/2007/06/20070622-6.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio

3:04 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Thank you. Rachel, thank you. Thanks for
coming. Thanks for the introduction, and thanks for representing the United
States. Proud to have you here.

I want to welcome you all right here to the people's house. I'm pleased you
could join us for this annual celebration of Black Music Month. This is an
event I've always looked forward to. It's a chance to listen to some good
music -- (laughter) -- and to be with some good friends. It's an
opportunity for us to thank artists whose work inspire our country. And so
thanks for coming. I hope you enjoy the day as much as I do.

I appreciate the fact that Alphonso is with us, Alphonso Jackson and
Marcia. He's the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development. Dr. Dorothy Height is with us. I'm proud you're here, Dr.
Height. Thanks for joining us. (Applause.) My friend, Bob Johnson has
joined us. He knows a little something about black entertainment.
(Laughter.) Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Roslyn Brock, Vice Chairman of
the NAACP -- I'm proud you're here, Roslyn. Thank you for coming, thank you
for joining us. Dyana Williams, President of the International Association
of African American Music Foundation -- she knows something about music.
(Laughter.) I appreciate Kevin Liles, Executive Vice President of the
Warner Music Company. Thank you for coming. And Jonathan Platt, Senior Vice
President of EMI Music Publishing and Virgin Records. Appreciate you all
being here. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)

Most of all, thank you all. Thanks for taking time out of your day to come.
One of the best things about living here is that some of the best musicians
come to play. It's amazing what kind of talent you can draw here at the
White House. (Laughter.) And over the years American Presidents have seen
some fantastic African American musicians here on the White House stage.
President Chester Arthur -- you might remember Chester -- (laughter) -- he
welcomed the first black choir to perform at the White House, the Jubilee
Singers from Fisk University. President Benjamin Harrison hosted one of the
first black soloists to play at the White House, Sissieretta Jones, who was
the daughter of a slave.

President William Howard Taft invited Joseph Douglass -- grandson of
Frederick Douglass -- to perform here. Franklin Roosevelt hosted the great
Marian Anderson, when she performed "Ave Maria" for the King and Queen of
England. President Ronald Reagan hosted Mikhail Gorbachev, and invited the
legendary Pearl Bailey to entertain. And when he introduced her, he just
simply said -- simply, "our Pearl" -- welcome "our Pearl." (Laughter.) I
hope the translator got that right. (Laughter.)

And Laura and I had some incredible entertainers and Americans sing for us
and our friends. We've had Eartha Kitt, Patti Austin, B.B. King, Irwin
Mayfield, Aaron Neville, just to give you a taste of what happens here at
the White House. Each of the performers has inspired people across the
world with their talents, and each performer has brought great pride to the
United States. It's really a great country that can produce a diverse group
of musicians that can serve as ambassadors about what's right about
America.

And we're proud to welcome some new musicians here to the White House
today. We're just keeping in a long trend of Presidents who have welcomed
some of our great musicians here to the White House. So as we honor Black
Music Month, it makes sense to bring some talent here to entertain us.

Karina Pasian grew up in New York City. She's the child of immigrants from
the Dominican Republic. Her parents are both teachers in the New York
Public School System, and early on it became clear that Karina had an
incredible gift for music. At age 3 -- that's the definition of "early on"
-- (laughter) -- she was singing and studying piano. By age 12 she was
performing at the Coliseum in Rome before a television audience of more
than a half-million people, alongside Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder, and
Andrea Bocelli. Today she's 15 years old. She's already recorded her first
album. And despite of her young age, she tackles very mature issues with
her music. She sings about hunger and disease in Africa, and the genocide
in Darfur.

We appreciate that clarity, appreciate her bringing these issues to focus,
to help more people understand that the world had got to do something about
it -- now, before it's too late. I will tell you America is in the lead
when it comes to HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa, we're on the lead
when it comes to feeding the hungry, we're on the lead when it comes to
eradicating malaria. And that's where we need to be, and that's where we
will stay. And I appreciate very much Karina bringing this issue to focus.
We're proud that you're here, and we're proud that you brought your big
heart to this stage.

We're also going to welcome KEM Owens, who learned to love music growing up
in Detroit listening to R_

The disc sold 10,000 copies in five months. It caught the attention of
music executives in New York who signed KEM to a major label deal. He has
gone on to become one of America's most popular R_ He's not done with me
yet." We're proud to welcome such a man to the White House today.

And finally, Tourie and Damien Escobar discovered their love for the violin
in the 3rd grade, and soon found themselves studying classical music at New
York's finest conservatories. But they grew up in a tough neighborhood, and
soon Tourie and Damien had drooped their music, dropped out of school, and
fallen in with a bad crowd. Yet their mother and aunt never gave up hope.
And with their encouragement and prayers, these two brothers returned to
the music they loved. They formed a group called "Nuttin' But Stringz" --
performing a new music fusion that bridges classical, R_

They started by playing on subways, and went on to win amateur music
contests at the Apollo Theater. And last month they released their first
album. Here's what Tourie says: "The passion for music and the violin saved
my life." And today that passion has brought these talented musicians right
here to the White House.

All these artists represent the best of our country. They represent hope
and hard work. We're looking forward to hearing them perform. They're going
to be in a long list of performers who have come here to be able to
entertain the country; to lend their musical talents to this, the people's
house. I appreciate them coming to help us celebrate Black Music Month. I
appreciate you all joining to help celebrate Black Music Month.

May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our country. (Applause.)

END 3:14 P.M. EDT

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070622-6.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)