June is officially Black Music Appreciation Month , a designation created by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. Last month, President Joe Biden issued a presidential proclamation acknowledging this year’s recognition of Black music. “For generations, Black music has conveyed the hopes and struggles of a resilient people,” Biden’s proclamation said , highlighting “spirituals mourning the original sin of slavery and later heralding freedom from bondage, hard truths told through jazz and the sounds of Motown during the Civil Rights movement , and hip-hop and rhythm and blues that remind us of the work that still lies ahead.” As the president’s remarks note, Black music has served a variety of artistic, social and political purposes throughout the country’s history.