'I thought it was a spoof': Why West Palm's mayor got an invite to the White House
Keith James didn't really believe the email was real.
It said the Biden administration was hosting a reception at the White House in honor of Black History Month, and that he, mayor of West Palm Beach, was invited.
"I thought it was a spoof," James said.
It wasn't long before he learned that, in fact, the invite was the real thing.
James, about to enter his second four-year term as mayor after eight years on the City Commission, had been to the White House before, but this would be a special trip.
The invitation, James noted, was not transferable, and the mayor took that to mean he couldn't bring his wife, Lorna.
On Sunday, Feb. 26, James flew up to Washington, D.C. White House protocol dictates that those scheduled to be in the presence of the president get tested for the coronavirus, and, the next morning, James went to get one. Failing the test would probably mean not getting to attend the reception. Worse, it would mean he had COVID-19.
"They said, 'If you don't hear from us, everything is good,'" James said.
Everything was good. James got a black wristband denoting that he was virus-free and good to go. The reception was to start at 5 p.m., and guests were instructed to arrive 90 minutes early. He took the band off and got there early, as instructed. But there was a problem.
"They asked to see the band," James said, laughing at the memory.
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With no band to verify that he wouldn't infect the leader of the free world, White House staff had to call the testing center to make sure that James had, in fact, been tested and was negative.
Fortunately for the mayor, they had kept an accounting, and James was allowed through the first security checkpoint. There would be others.
"I think we went through about three security stations," James remembered. One included dogs sniffing about for anything that would be a security problem. The whole process left an impression on the mayor. "I wouldn't say intimidating, but you know it's security," he said.
Who else was invited to the White House for the trip?
James entered the East Room, a gold-accented room with high ceilings. Checking his coat, James noted that there were no chairs — and that mayors weren't the only dignitaries who had been invited.
The mayor noticed U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chosen by his fellow Democrats as their leader in the House of Representatives. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., an elder statesman in Congress and a personal friend of the president, was there. There were other non-political figures there, too.
"Michael Eric Dyson, the author, I recognized him," James said. "It was folks from all walks of life."
Having arrived early, James got a spot only eight to 10 feet from the stage. "I didn't want to move around too much because I had gotten a good position," the mayor said.
At around 5:20 p.m., the Marine Corps band played "Hail to the Chief," and everyone turned to a pathway in the middle of the room. A Black teen, whom James would later learn was a standout high school student, Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden strolled up the aisle.
The teen, DuWayne Portis Jr., spoke first, impressing James and others with his composure and smarts. Portis, a high school senior and a Chicago Youth Service Corps leader, told the audience he was trying to figure out where he would attend college and that he would likely choose a historically black college or university, drawing cheers from the audience.
Harris, a Howard University alum, put in a plug for Portis to consider her alma mater. Biden, when it was his turn to speak, asked Portis not to forget that the state he represented in the U.S. Senate for nearly four decades, Delaware, has its own HBCU, Delaware State.
It was Harris who had told James and others gathered in the East Room that Black history is American history.
"The governor of Florida was not mentioned by name, but everyone knew what that was," James said, alluding to Gov. Ron DeSantis' high-profile opposition to the teaching of critical race theory and other Black history he and others Republicans deem to be too "woke."
After the speeches — Harris talked about history and the president touted his administration's record — James roamed a bit, pausing near the many portraits of history-making figures that line the walls of the grand old house.
A Marine guard noticed that he was trying to figure out how to get a good selfie in front of the portrait of Michelle Obama. "I'm not good at those," the mayor said. "And it wasn't like I had a selfie stick."
The guard offered to get a picture for James in front of the portrait.
The mayor didn't meet Biden, but he'll have another chance to do that when U.S. mayors meet in Washington at the end of April.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter @waynewashpbpost. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm mayor travels to White House for Black History reception
