President Biden is getting the job done for Black voters
Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his disdain for Black people, especially Black women. It was ingrained in him by his racist father, who had to be sued to rent to Blacks. In a thinly veiled racist comment, Trump recently claimed that his Black support has “gone up four or five times.” To what does he attribute this rise? His mug shot. In Trump’s mind, all Black people are inherently criminal, and we can relate to the fact that he has been arrested. This is likely the most insulting thing Donald Trump has said to date, and any Blacks who support him need to have their heads examined if they don’t see who he really is. They would be better served by looking at what leaders do for them and not the shit they talk.
I read a piece by the Hill’s opinion writer Juan Williams, who refers to Joe Biden as “our third Black president.” Williams referred to the time Toni Morrison called Bill Clinton was our “first Black president.” We finally got a real one in the form of Barack Obama, but Clinton’s policies widely impacted Black Americans in a positive way. President Biden has done the same. He has always been mindful of having the judiciary resemble the people it purports to represent. He had the extreme honor of nominating the first Black female Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Given what Biden has accomplished, it is interesting that he’s struggling with Black voters. According to Williams, Biden’s newest ads target Black voters, especially young Black voters. While it is not mentioned in his ads, Williams pointed out: “The first Black vice president, Kamala Harris, swore in a Black woman, Laphonza Butler, as a U.S. Senator. It is amazing to me, after 50 years of covering Washington, to see a Black woman sworn in as a senator while her wife-another Black woman-holds the bible, and the oath is administered by a third Black woman, who is Biden’s Vice President of the United States.” Now, if that doesn’t reverberate with Black folks, I don’t know what will.
We now have three (elected) Black Senators and 58 Black House members, including Hakeem Jeffries, who is the first Black to serve as top party leader. Biden increased numbers in his administration by naming General Loyd J. Austin as secretary of defense and Charles Q. Brown as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has also stripped confederate names from military bases. Biden’s debt ceiling negotiations are being overseen by his director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, who is the first Black in that position. In addition to his appointments, President Biden has secured the lowest Black unemployment rate in history, is the fastest creator of Black-owned small business in 25 years, increased Black enrollment in government sponsored health plans, and has reduced Black child poverty by double digits. He wanted to work on police reform and voter suppression but has been thwarted by the GOP. Now, if this isn’t a man who deserves your vote, I don’t know who is, regardless of his skin color. It’s certainly not Donald Trump.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years