In early December, President Biden and Vice President Harris joined renowned figures from the art and political worlds to celebrate the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors. The ceremony honored U2, George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, and Tania Leon and will be broadcast on CBS on December 28 at 8 p.m.
The Kennedy Center Honors annually celebrate an artist’s cumulative body of work and influence in American culture. The rainbow medallions that signify the achievement were presented to the awardees at a dinner at the State Department hosted by Secretary of State Antony Blinken the night before the Honors ceremony.
"[T]he bonds between nations are not just forged by governments but by people, and sometimes those connections take root a little deeper when they come in the form of a song or a symphony, a painting or a performance,” Blinken said at the dinner. “That’s why cultural diplomacy is such a key pillar of our work here at the State Department....In a world where there are few big problems that the United States can solve alone, we can’t lose sight of this universal connection. The arts give us language to talk about the aspirations that we all hold, the emotions that we share, the challenges that we face.“
Those ideas were highlighted by a performance featuring Ukrainian artist Jamala that both honored U2 and called attention to the ongoing war Ukraine is fighting to defend its land, identity and culture.
Celebrate the importance of the arts as a force to uplift and unite on Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. on CBS.
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