President Trump announced the start of ‘African-American Music Appreciation Month’ on Friday.
In a White House statement, the president praised the ‘ingenuity of talented African American artists’ whose work ‘laid the foundation for so many recognizable and cherished genres of music, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues, jazz, hip hop and rap’.
‘African-American music has played a significant role in shaping the American dream and instilling a sense of pride in being an “American.”
President Trump announced the start of ‘African-American Music Appreciation Month’ on Friday. He’s pictured above with rapper Kanye West, right, after he won the election
Above, Trump’s full statement announcing the beginning of the month-long celebration
‘The talent and creativity of pioneers like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Etta James, Whitney Houston, and many others have indelibly enriched our culture and our lives,’ the statement continues.
Trump went on to say that African-American music ‘brings together people of all backgrounds’.
‘Our Nation is indebted to all the African-American artists whose music fills our airways and our homes, lifts our spirits, and compels us to think, dance, and sing.
Trump asked public officials and educators to ‘raise awareness and appreciation of African-American music’. Pictured left: Whitney Houston. Pictured right: Duke Ellington
‘These musicians and their legacies ignite our imaginations and prove to us that the sky is the limit,’ he said.
He then called upon ‘public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African-American music’.
African-American Music Appreciation Month is a tradition that dates back to President Jimmy Carter’s administration. Under President Obama, the name was changed from Black Music Appreciation Month to African-American Music Appreciation Month.
Trump’s colorful message to mark the celebration comes just weeks after he thanked Kanye West for his support on Twitter.
West had tweeted that ‘the mob’ could not stop him from having an appreciation for Trump.
After showing their mutual love for each other, a Reuters poll showed that Trump’s support among black men doubled from 11 per cent to 22 per cent.
And just this week, West’s wife Kim Kardashian West visited the Oval Office to speak to the president about prison reform.