Former Miss America Vanessa Williams to host Fourth of July celebrations in US

For the Capitol Fourth celebrations on July 4, 2021, actress and former Miss America Vanessa Williams will be taking charge as the host and will also be performing the song 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' to honour Juneteenth.

New Delhi: For the Capitol Fourth celebrations on July 4, 2021, actress and former Miss America Vanessa Williams will be taking charge as the host and will also be performing the song 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' to honour Juneteenth (June 19), a newly declared national holiday in the US celebrating the emancipation of African-Americans from slavery.  In an interview with The Associated Press (AP), she expressed that the Fourth of July celebration will be a great way to commemorate Juneteenth. “It’s in celebration of the wonderful opportunity that we now have to celebrate Juneteenth. So we are reflective of the times,” she said. For the unversed, the Capitol Fourth celebration is held every year in honour of America's Independence Day (July 4) and broadcasted on PBS. It is traditionally presented from the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington. This year the show will mark 41 glorious years on the air.