Biden Speaks During the 115th NAACP National Convention

Good afternoon. Good afternoon NAACP. It is a great day to share space with faces we know and those who we hope to know better. To our members, this convention is for you. From Arkansas to Alaska, for NAACP runs on people power because Black Americans know that our community is what carry us forward. To our friends at the National Bar Association, thank you for your decades of partnership and advocacy on behalf of the Black community in courthouses throughout the country. And to the members of the CBC, the conscience of the Congress, your leadership, your voice, your advocacy, your understanding of how public policy must improve the quality of life for African-Americans, let me correct that, for Americans across the country has propelled this nation forward in perfecting democracy. Four years ago, the world was forced to bear witness to a reality that may have been new to them, but was all too familiar to us. The death of George Floyd was a tragedy. A tragedy that is all too familiar to the countless others that have ripped apart Black families, communities across the country.

(02:10)
George Floyd was not the first, and if we don’t get police reform, it will not be the last, I’m sad to say. While the world reckoned with the reality of racism, because many of them woke up one day and realized racism actually existed. Although it often manifested itself in the form of unspeakable violence against Black people, whether it was Emmett Till or the church bombing of the four little girls in Birmingham or in countless other stories. This time some said they were prepared to change course, some made empty promises. For the NAACP and legal advocates like Ben Crump we took action. In 2020 our community worked together to empower one another, reminding each other that we have the ability to determine our destiny. The Black vote made a difference in 2020 and determined our destiny we did casting deciding ballots in the national, local, and state elections.

(03:35)
Four years later, and there is much that has been accomplished by and for our community. But the history of this nation has taught us that not everyone shares the same investment in a progressive vision. For some, the notion of progress is seen as a threat to the imbalance of power that has allowed them to prosper while others are left in peril. The rejection of collective advancement and achievement has created division, pitting community against community, breeding extremist ideologies that leaves no room for compromise or conversation. After the abolishment of slavery, it was Jim Crow. After the Civil Rights Act, it was the war on drugs. After the election of the first Black president, it was Make America Great Again. And now, after the racial reckoning that a Black man lost his life, that all of us seen on social media platforms, on cable news, on broadcast news, the response is Project 2025. Over the past four years, we’ve worked to make education more equitable and accessible while widening the opportunity to increase economic output, through organizing, advancing, and working with the current administration to cancel over $160 billion in student debt.

(05:21)
Teachers for the first time qualifying for home ownership or increasing the quality of the housing stock that they are able to get for their families. However, Project 2025 not only seeks to revert that progress, but to dismantle the Department of Education that provides a pathway to opportunity for all Americans. But the planned assault on education does not stop there. Project 2025 seek to return back the rights to states. For those of us who live in the South, we know when the dog whistle of state rights, what it truly means. And they’re seeking through this state’s rights approach to gut Title I, which would lead to the divestment of our public schools, hitting our community hardest. What would this nation be without a public education system for all children providing quality education? And to those who have yet to see book bands in their states, Project 2025 plans to enact those bands nationwide. This is not a fictional concept. This is a 900 page manifesto that seeks to undermine progress, promote violence, inflict harm on our community.

(07:04)
But they must know that NAACP, we will be here for that fight. This election is not about candidate A versus candidate B or political party A or political party B. We are nonpartisan, but we are political as hell and we know that this is a fight we must take on. So when people try to give you these false narratives or distract you, let’s stay focused not on the people, but the policy priorities they represent and vote for those who align themselves with what’s in the best interest of our communities. And I can assure you if you do that, it’s in the best interest of America. The Black community has saved democracy many times before, and we are being called on to save democracy once again. They must know that we are all in…

All in.

… on making college more affordable for all. They should know that we are all in…

All in.

… on fighting for a reality where Black history is recognized because it is American history. I guess they don’t know the history of the NAACP. After being in this fight for 115 years, we will not turn back. We will continue the fight and we will win this battle. We are battle tested and we’re not backing down. They need to know that we’re all in…

All in.

… on making equity a reality for all Americans, but we must recognize that this requires work on our end. While they may not be like us, we have to make them think like us. We have to band together the way they do. We must come together. We don’t have a time for us versus us public fight. We only have time for a us for us saving of this democracy to get the access we need in order to get the equity we deserve. Equal protection of the law isn’t a concept, it’s a guarantee that we must keep intact in our constitution.

(09:53)
Now, we have experienced what it feels like to have the door shut in our face, where our voices stifled by divisive noise. We know the change is possible when doors are open and how our culture shines through those doors when individuals like Steve Benjamin sits in the seat he’s sitting, or Michael Regan sits in the seat that he’s sitting or Karim sits in the seat that she’s sitting because we will operate in excellence to ensure that this concept of democracy is protected, it grows and it’s inclusive. We’re not asking for perfection. We’re asking for platforms that empower not imprison. We’re asking for leaders who don’t shut the door on our face or drown out our rallying cries. And while there is a lot of work to be done, I am

Proud to welcome a leader who doesn’t shut the door in our face, but turns up the volume when speaking. A leader who may not always get it right, but is all in on getting it done. And with that being said, I am honored to welcome the 46th President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Folks, my name’s Joe Biden, and I’m a lifetime member of the NAACP. And I am all in. My word, I am all in. President Johnson, thanks for the introduction and for your leadership, most of all for your friendship. And thanks to all the thousands of members across America that are here. One of the most important organizations in our country. And a special thanks, I mean this sincerely, to the members of Congress who are here, including Nevada’s own Steven Horsford, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. I don’t know where he is, but I know he’s out there.

(12:53)
As so many members of the CBC members defending freedom like Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chair January 6th committee. And the best friend anyone can have, Jim Clyburn in South Carolina. In case you didn’t notice, Jim turned it around for me in 2020. Look, in June of ’47, 1947, Harry Truman became the first president to speak at this convention, and he was remembered for a lot of things. With the help of the NAACP, he desegregated the military, he laid the groundwork for the civil rights agenda, and he built upon President Kennedy by that, President Johnson who signed the Civil Rights Act in ’64, 60 years ago. Harry Truman was president, was often counted out. He was also known for something else.

(13:56)
The story goes, Truman said, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Well, guess what? After the last couple weeks, I know what he means. But that’s why it’s so good to have real friends. I’m not being solicitous. I have real friends. So many of you had my back, and I think I’ve had yours as well. And I will never forget it. Got us a couple Delaware folks here still, and one of my best friends when I was a lifeguard in the projects, his nickname was Mouse. Mousey, there you are, pal. End up running along Sherman and loyal as hell.

(14:45)
I’m truly honored to be here to meet at this tense moment in this country. And it is a tense moment, just a few days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. We’re grateful he was not seriously injured. We continue to pray for him and his family. It is time for an important conversation in this country. Our politics has gotten too heated. I’ve said at the Oval Office on Sunday night, as I’ve made clear throughout my presidency. We all have a responsibility to lower the temperature and condemn violence in any form.

(15:24)
You got to remember, in America, we’re not enemies, we’re friends, we’re neighbors, we’re fellow Americans, most importantly. We must fully and firmly reject not only political violence, but violence of any kind, period. No exceptions. We have to say with one voice that violence is not the answer. That’s what we should rally around as a nation. That’s the unity I’m talking about. Few organizations know that better than the NAACP. For the race riots in Springfield, Illinois in 1908, the NAACP was formed. That’s what started it. You know the pain and the price of violence. You understand if you’re going to talk about standing against violence, you must stand against all violence. You must stand against violence perpetrated against presidential candidates in Pennsylvania, you must stand against all violence. The violence perpetrated against George Floyd of Minnesota, against Black veterans like police officers, Eugene Goodman on January 6th. And Black election workers like Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss in Atlanta.

(16:38)
We have to stand against the violence and intimidation of white supremacy, the murder of innocent lives in that grocery store in Buffalo, New York when I went up there. Mother Emanuel Church in Charlottesville, South Carolina. We must stand against the violence of murdered children in Sandy Hook and Uvalde. Concert goers in Las Vegas, incidents on the street all across America that never make the news. There’s Uvalde every day in the communities across the country. If you’re going to be outspoken on one, don’t be silent on others.

(17:12)
If we’re going to speak about violence, we’re going to speak about guns. More children in America die of a gunshot wound than any other reason. That’s stunning and that is sick. And it’s sheer cowardice if we do nothing about it. So if you want to stand against violence in America, then join me in getting these weapons of war off the streets of America. An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump. Just as it was an assault weapon that killed so many others, including children. It’s time to outlaw them. I did it once and I will do it again.

(18:17)
Now, just because we must lower the temperature of our politics as it’s related to violence, it doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth. Who you are, what you’ve done, what you’ll do. That’s fair game. As Harry Truman said, “I’ve never delivered, given anyone hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.” That’s what I’m going to do. Well, here’s the truth about why Donald Trump’s presidency was hell for Black America, he tried to repeal Obamacare, to kick millions, I mean millions of Black Americans off their health insurance. He had a two trillion-dollar tax cut, that overwhelmingly benefited the super wealthy, the biggest corporations. And exploded the federal debt larger than any one president has in one term. He left no room for us to do what we should be doing. Invest in things that affect people’s lives like child care, elder care, and so much more, that grow the economy and help people.

(19:26)
His mismanagement of the pandemic was especially devastating to Black communities. Oh, I know… And other communities of color. That economic crisis drove up Black unemployment, decimated small Black businesses. And you peacefully protested George Floyd’s murder, Donald Trump called for the National Guard to go after you. What in the hell’s the matter with this man? No, I’m serious. Go figure, from a guy who spread the birth lie against Barack Obama saying he wasn’t born in America and he wasn’t a US citizen. Of course, here’s what he thinks of Black jobs. I love his phrase, Black jobs. It tells a lot about the man, and about his character. Folks, I know what a Black job is, it’s the Vice President of the United States. I know what a Black job is, the first Black president in American history, Barack Obama.

(20:39)
I was Vice President for Barack, and she is my Vice President. I nominated the first Black Secretary of Defense in American history. They’re doing one hell of a job. I nominated the first Black woman to the United States Supreme Court. It mattered. It mattered. And I promised myself, and I promised America, that my administration would look like America. And I’m proud that we have the most diverse administration in all of history, that taps into the full talents of our nation. That’s who we are. These guys don’t get it. That’s why we’re so successful. No, I’m serious. That’s what makes us the greatest nation on earth. That’s not a hyperbole. Folks, it’s because of you that I’m President and Kamala Harris is Vice President. And by the way, she’s not only a great Vice President, she could be President of the United States.

Four more years. Four more years. Four more years.

Thank you. With the help with the NAACP, the Black elected members in the Congress, we’ve gotten so much done, seriously. Presidential historians said we’ve gotten more done of consequence than any president since Franklin Roosevelt. Just think about where the Black community was when I came into office. Think about how far the Black community has come, but we still got a long way to go. COVID no longer controls our lives. Our economy is, not figuratively, literally, the strongest economy in the world.

(22:52)
Historic low Black unemployment, record growth of Black small businesses. Let me say this again, because Trump is lying like hell about it. Black unemployment hit a record low under Biden-Harris administration. The first bill I passed, we put $1,400 checks plus $300 checks per child, per family, per month in the pockets of people in this country to get them through the pandemic, not Trump’s administration. Kamala and I did that. We put more money in the pockets than anyone. And of consequence, we cut Black child poverty in half. And when we finally get through to people, my economic policy grows the economy when we spend money, grows it. We grew the American economy to the strongest in the world, and I’m determined to make that tax cut permanent.

(23:57)
No child should never go hungry in America. And by the way, all the data shows is … We can’t let them tell us we drive up deficits. They drive up deficits, folks. When you have child care, guess what? Mom or dad can work, and the child can be safe. We’re connecting Black neighborhoods that were cut off with old highways and disinvestment decades ago. My city, Wilmington, Delaware, I-95 runs up through what used to be the Black community, divided it. It’s six lanes wide. We’re going to make sure that the states want it. We’re going to be able to pave over at the top of that and still have the highway, connecting neighborhoods. We’re removing, which is costly, every poisonous lead pipe in a house in America, so every child can drink clean water without fear of brain damage. We’re delivering high-speed and affordable broadband. No child should have to sit out in the parking lot with her moms in front of McDonald’s so they can get online to do their homework.

(25:10)
And because of you, we’re not only protecting Obamacare, you allowed me to increase it, making healthcare more affordable, and by the way, more than it’s ever been, more than it’s ever been. Millions of African Americans now have healthcare because of what we’ve done. We’re putting home ownership, home ownership within reach. How do you generate generational wealth no matter what community you’re from? I don’t know how we did it when everything got stuck in Scranton and with no jobs. We moved to Delaware. Dad worked like hell so he could get a down payment to buy a small house. That’s how you build equity. It was small. It was a three-bedroom split level home with four kids and a grandpop living with us. But it was a home and he was able to build some equity. Look, we’re making the most significant investment in climate ever in all of history, including most significant action on environmental justice ever.

(26:13)
Look, folks, think about this. Not many don’t know my state. My state of Delaware has a … Delaware River runs up along jagged, but at the top of the state, there’s a half moon, and it comes up along more oil refineries on the other side of that half moon, and markets looking areas than anywhere in the country, including Houston. And guess what? The wind blows South East. We had the highest cancer rate for the longest time. But you know who’s affected? Fence line communities. You know who the fence line communities are? Black communities. And I promise, as we make this legislation work, we’re going to take care of those communities first, first, first. I mean it. Same way in Louisiana, same way in other places.

(27:06)
Look, we’ve relieved student debt for more than 4 million borrowers, a significant amount of Black borrowers. I don’t know how many have called me to say, “Mr. President or God … ” I’ve gotten phone numbers. I’ve called them back. “Mr. President, thank you. I couldn’t get married. My debt was so large. I couldn’t have children. I couldn’t think of … ” No, I’m serious. You know it. “I couldn’t buy a home. But what you did, you freed me of my debt, and you gave me $10,000 for a down payment on a home.”

(27:43)
And this project, 2024th, Trump’s … 2025, Trump’s deal. He talks about education. HBCUs are as good as any other university. Guess what the problem is? No, I’m serious. Not a joke. And Kamala and I have a constant fight. She says Howard’s the best. I said, Delaware State’s the best. Because that’s where I got my start. But my point is this, my point is this, they don’t have the endowment. So what are the jobs of the future? The high tech jobs. You’re going to pay a lot of money. They don’t have the money for the laboratories. They don’t have the money for all that material. So, that’s why I’ve invested a record $16 billion in HBCU.

(28:42)
There’s no HBCU student is any less qualified than any student anywhere else. And by the way, we’re making sure that no one goes to jail for the mere use or possession of marijuana. Their record should be expunged. It holds them back. All told, because of you, the NAACP, we’re making the most significant investments in Black America ever in all of history. We’re seeing the results. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years.

(29:23)
Inflation is down in three years and coming down further. And we’re going to have, as they say, a soft landing. Folks, you’re going to see us grow faster and faster. That’s not just my view. It’s the view of 16 Nobel Prize winning economists who put out a statement looking at my economic plan and Trump’s. They said, my plan will continue to lower inflation, continue to grow the economy. Prices are falling for cars, appliances, and groceries. We’re going to keep corporate greed at bay. But here’s the thing, what they said about Trump, they said his policies will cause a recession. No, and by the way, these are not a Democratic outfit, 16 Nobel laureates.

(30:08)
Look, I come from the corporate state of the world, Delaware. I know how they work. There’s more corporations incorporated in my state than any state in America, all combined. But guess what? We have to deal with corporate greed now. No, it is. Corporate profits are double since the pandemic and they keep bringing prices down. We have to bring prices down further. Look, folks, the idea, the idea that corporate owned housing is able to raise your rent $300, $400 bucks a month or something under what I’m about to announce, they can’t raise it more than $55. That debate is taking place. The bottom line is we’re just getting started. Well, no, it’s not enough to talk about the past. We need a vision for the future. Here’s my plan for the first a 100 days of the second term. Kamala and I are calling on Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. I did all that I was consciously able to do with executive authority, but we need the act, and we need to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, and I’ll sign them both into law immediately. And guess what? Come hell or high water, we’re going to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

Four more years. Four more years. Four more years.

I know you say, “Joe, you might not have a Congress.” Well, guess what? You all told me I couldn’t pass the Inflation Reduction Act. You all told me I couldn’t face the … Anyway, we did it with your help. Republicans blocked police reform in Congress. So, I signed a historic executive order on police reform. I’m going to come back and we’ll sign George Floyd and Policing Act into law, come hell or high water. I’m not only going to stop MAGA Republicans, I’m going to to stop them in their program on 2025. We’re going to stop them from cutting Social Security and Medicare. I’m going to expand Social Security and Medicare by making the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share. We’re going to bring rents down. As I said, we’re going to build two million affordable homes and cap rent increases at 5% a year, so corporate landlords can’t … Anyway. I don’t want to get going. I’m going to get very upset. But

They’re just gouging America, and we’re going to keep relieving student debt. And we’re going to end medical debt. We’ve already made sure medical debt can no longer be put on a credit report. Well, I’m working with states to wipe out medical debt for pennies on the dollar so it’s not hanging over you the rest of your life. We’re going to raise the federal minimum wage. Our first term, we capped the cost of insulin for seniors at $35. Total drug cost for seniors beginning in 2024 and ‘5, at $2,000, and some of those cancer drugs are 10, 12, $14,000 a year. But the second term, we’re going to do that for not just seniors, for everyone in America. And by the way, it not only saves lives, it’ll save taxpayers just what I did on the first round, on dealing with Medicare. It saves the taxpayer $160 billion, because they don’t have to pay these exorbitant prices to these… Anyway.

(34:17)
This year, Medicare is negotiating lower prices for some of the costliest drugs in the market. That treats everything from heart disease to arthritis. In the next term, want to go further, give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for 50 drugs a year, not 10. That not only save lives, it’s estimated to save the taxpayer another $200 billion a year. This is saving taxpayers money. And by the way, if you notice, all the stuff they said, “Big spending Biden,” we have lowered the deficit, not raised it. We’ve increased economic growth. Folks, here’s what else I’m determined to do, I’m determined to end Trump’s tax cuts for the very wealthy and big corporations, and make the tax code fair, and ease the burden on working people. I kept my commitment that no one making less than $400,000, I never saw in my life until I elected the president, will pay a penny more in federal taxes.

(35:18)
But here’s the deal, we have in America, since the pandemic, 1000 billionaires. 1000. You know how much in federal tax they pay? 8.2%. That’s their federal tax, 8.2%. We’re going to make billionaires pay a minimum 25%, which is low. No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a firefighter, or a nurse, a janitor… That’s simply ridiculous. And when we do that, that alone will generate $500 billion in revenue over the next 10 years, allowing us to lower costs for families and save the government money. We can do more on elder care, childcare, bringing down the federal deficit, and so much more. This is not rocket science folks, but they’ve convinced us, and he’s spending the money, it’s costing… It’s saving money. God’s truth, it’s saving money. And it’s vitally important. The next President of the United States could appoint two or more justices to the Supreme Court. Just imagine. I know the stakes. Folks, my vision for the future will continue to be all about working people in this nation. And my whole career, and go back and look at it, I’ve not been perfect by any stretch of imagination, but a simple proposition of the family I come from, the neighborhood I come from, everybody deserves a shot. Just a shot. No guarantee. Give hate, no safe harbor, leave no one behind. That’s a stark contrast to my predecessor and the mega officials. They’ll do everything, undo everything the NAACP stands for. But now they’re trying to deny it, they’re lying about their project 2025. They want to deny you freedom, the freedom to vote. Have your vote counted. They’d impose a nationwide ban on abortion.

(37:32)
This new vice president, if you ever any doubt, man, just take a look at what he’s been saying. They want to prosecute political enemies. They’d want to cut Social security and Medicare, rip away protection from millions of preexisting conditions, over 400 million people. Stop Medicare from negotiating lower prescriptive drug prices. Risking people’s lives, costing the government more money. They’d eliminate the Department of Education. No, you ought to read it, saying it’s a state issue. Give me a break [inaudible 00:38:07], we know how well we do with the states. They would cut school lunches, eliminate the Head Start program for lower income children, that allow employees to stop paying overtime, employers to stop paying… Catch this one to stop paying overtime to hourly workers.

(38:27)
They’re such good people. But give the very wealthy and big corporations a new tax cut. They’ve already eviscerated affirmative action, that also decimate diversity, equity, and inclusion all across American life. They’re already trying to do it by banning books, they’re trying to erase Black history. Black history is American history. Folks, I’m not being dramatic here, we cannot let that happen. That’s why it’s so important to me, it was so important to me to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. They can’t erase it. Now people are going to know what happened on Juneteenth. And that’s why I made federal lynching a federal hate crime in Emmett Till’s memory, and that’s where you’re being reminded. Remember they tried to do? As well as establish national monuments for Mamie and Emmett Till, and so much more.

(39:37)
So, there’s no doubt about what’s happening. Look, folks, as I said before, we know Black history is American history, it’s as simple as that. Let me close with this. The psalm tells us, “I’ve been young and now I’m old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken. I have not seen the righteous forsaken, and I will not see the righteous forsaken.” Hopefully with age, I’ve demonstrated a little bit of wisdom. Here’s what I do know, I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. And I know the good Lord hasn’t brought us this far to leave us now. There’s more work to do, this is the moment to be engaged. The work you’re doing to recruit hundreds of thousands of volunteers, move millions of people to make their voices heard, may well determine American’s future for decades to come. And folks, that’s important. We must all be defenders for freedom, justice, equality, and the bedrock of democracy, and there’s been no more important voice in that truth than the voices of the Black community. I mean it.

(41:11)
And when America’s failed to live up what we say we believe, you don’t give up hope, nor do I. We’ve always loved this country even when it has not loved us back. We worked hard, hard as hell. Just think about it, our children, your children and grandchildren, ask yourself what America do you want to leave them? My answer is an America of hope, fairness, opportunity, possibilities. Look, I spent more time with Xi Jinping of China than any other world leader has. I was with him in China on the steps of the mountains, and he looked at me and he said, “Can you define America for me?” It’s the God’s truth, and I said this recorded. I said, “Yes, in one word, America: possibilities.” Nothing is beyond our capacity. America, where it’s full of promises available to everybody. America, where racists and violence are no longer the ghost that have too long haunted the nation. Folks, it’s about you and your families and everything the NAACP has stood for generations. Freedom, democracy, America, always marching, always believing, always keeping the faith. We’re going to do this. So, let me ask you, are you all in?

All in.

Because I’m all in.

All in.

We just have to remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there’s nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together, and let’s stay together. God bless you all, and may God protect our truth.