Blog Posts Related to the African American Community

Behind-the-Scenes Video: The Motown Sound At The White House

Continuing a favorite White House tradition, the President and First Lady welcomed renowned musical artists to the White House to celebrate music that’s at the heart of the American story. As Black History Month drew to a close, Thursday’s performance fittingly paid tribute to the legendary sound of Motown. Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder took the stage alongside those influenced by generations of Motown musicians.

Join John Legend for a rare glimpse behind the scenes with performers including Jamie Foxx, Sheryl Crow, Nick Jonas, Seal, Gloriana, Jordin Sparks and more in the green room during rehearsal and backstage for the performance:

Check back soon for full performances on WhiteHouse.gov. In Performance at The White House: The Motown Sound premieres Tuesday, March 1st at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide. (Check local listings.)

Jocelyn Frye’s Story: Inspiring Young People To Be All They Can Be

Editor's note: This post is part of the Celebrating Black History Month series, which highlights the work of African Americans from across the Administration who are contributing to the President's goals for winning the future.

As Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy and Special Projects for the First Lady, I help oversee the broad issue portfolio of the First Lady, including her work on childhood obesity, military families, mentoring, and work-family challenges.  This role provides a unique vantage point from which to advance the President’s vision, particularly the goal of improving and strengthening the lives of young people.  In our Let’s Move! initiative, we focus on educating youth about living healthy lives and making healthy choices.  In our military families work, we focus in part on ways to improve the educational opportunities and experiences of military children, and ensure they have the supports they need with one or both parents serving in the military.  In our mentoring initiative, we focus on exposing young people to new educational, career, and skills-building opportunities.  In all of this work our goal is to inspire young people to be all they can be, to take advantage of every educational opportunity, and to remind them that they are not defined solely by their circumstances but have unlimited potential.

As a native of Washington, DC, working in the White House today is a special privilege -- something I dreamed about doing as a young person but was never quite sure truly would be possible.  My greatest influences growing up were my parents, both of whom worked for the federal government like so many in DC, and family members.  All believed in a strong work ethic and the power of education.  My parents made huge sacrifices to give me a wonderful education, from the National Cathedral School here in Washington, to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Harvard Law School.  Along the way I met teachers and professors and colleagues who encouraged and challenged me and helped open my eyes to new opportunities.   

What sustained me then --  and now -- were those values instilled by my parents early in life.  Those that stressed the importance of fairness and mutual respect, commitment to community and our obligation to give back, having a healthy dose of humility and recognizing our own imperfections, and reaching for your dreams.