*President Joe Biden has proclaimed June 2023 Black Music Month and his support of the annual celebration comes 44 years after President Jimmy Carter hosted a reception at the White House in 1979 that made Black Music Month official. 

“This month, we celebrate the songs and artists that challenge us to think critically, stand up to injustice, and believe in ourselves.  We recommit to expanding the promise of dignity and opportunity for all Americans.  And we revel in the sounds, spirit, and soul of some of the very best music ever created,” said Biden in a statement.

“ I call upon public officials, educators, and all the people of the United States to observe this month by honoring Black musicians and raising awareness and appreciation of Black music,” Biden continued. 

Music industry veteran Dyana Williams told Ebony that “The creation of Black Music Month was the brainchild of Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer and one of the architects of The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) Kenny Gamble.”

Celebrating 44th anniversary of June Black Music Month ⁦cofounders @mrkennygamble⁩ & Ed Wright! pic.twitter.com/KobhMHtLks

— Dyana Williams (@DyanaWilliams) June 1, 2023

Gamble and his partner Leon Huff created countless classics, such as “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes; “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays; and Teddy Pendergrass’ “Turn Off the Lights.”

“When he established the Black Music Association in the late 1970s, we were a couple at that point; we had two children,” said Williams, a radio pioneer who is considered “the Mother of Black Music Month.”

According to Ebony, Williams played a critical role in bringing Black music to the White House under former President Carter. She described the event as “a coming together of various aspects of the music industry to celebrate and recognize this multibillion-dollar industry, not just the songwriters and the singers, people behind the scenes as well.” 

Since Carter, several U.S. presidents continue to recognize Black Music Month. President Biden issued a 2023 proclamation on May 31, recognizing Gamble, Williams, and other artists who’ve made lasting impacts in Black music. 

“Black music deserves champions and advocates, and that’s what I see myself as,” Williams told Ebony. 

“Black Music is American music created in this country and exported culturally, but also economically. We don’t tend to think of it that way, but the reality is that Black music is big business. I’m talking about not millions of dollars, but billions of dollars,” she continued. 

“We are the trendsetters. We are the weathervane so to speak. We’re the taste. We’re the flavor all over the planet. It is us and I see myself as a person who uses her platform, whether it’s social media, whether it is talking with [journalists] to spread the word about the magnificence, the viability, and the power of Black music,” Williams said.

READ MORE: The 2023 Black Music Honors is the Must-Watch Event of the Year | View SWV Sneak-Peek

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