President Biden addresses the audience at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, on May 17, 2024. Credit: Al Drago—Bloomberg via Getty Images
May 17, 2024 Story by: Editor
President Biden drew a direct comparison on Friday between Donald Trump “and his MAGA Republican allies” and the segregationists of the 1950s who opposed the integration of Black and white students in schools.
Addressing Black leaders at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Biden recounted his meeting with some of the Little Rock Nine, the brave individuals who faced severe hostility to attend Central High School in 1957, three years after the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional.
Biden emphasized that the same hostility faced by the Little Rock Nine is now manifesting in efforts to dismantle affirmative action in college admissions and eliminate corporate diversity initiatives. “The Little Rock Nine were met with vitriol and violence. Today the vitriol comes in other insidious forms—an extreme movement led by my predecessor and his MAGA Republican allies, backed by an extreme Supreme Court that gutted affirmative action in college admissions. My predecessor and his extreme MAGA friends are now going after diversity, equity, and inclusion all across America,” Biden stated. “They want a country for some—not for all.”
The speech was part of a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, a pivotal Supreme Court decision that initiated nationwide school integration. Despite this ruling, many local leaders defied the court, prompting President Dwight D. Eisenhower to deploy the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to protect Black students from violent opposition.
“My name’s Joe Biden and I’m a lifetime member of the NAACP,” Biden began his remarks, humorously adding, “When I said that a little earlier to the president, he said, ‘Are your dues paid up?’ I got to check.”
Biden’s speech is part of a broader effort to engage the African American community, especially as his approval ratings wane among young Black voters. Later on Friday, Biden met with presidents of the “Divine Nine,” a network of historically Black sororities and fraternities. “I know real power when I see it,” Biden commented on the Divine Nine.
On Saturday, Biden is scheduled to speak at Morehouse College in Atlanta, a prestigious historically Black institution attended by Martin Luther King Jr. The event is anticipated to attract protests amidst current unrest on college campuses. Biden highlighted the importance of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), noting they have educated a significant percentage of Black professionals in the U.S. “I’ve got more Morehouse men in my Administration than Morehouse,” Biden quipped, affirming HBCUs as “vital to our nation’s progress.” Source: Time
Reflecting on the 2017 Charlottesville rally where white supremacists protested the removal of a Confederate statue and Trump’s controversial remark that there were “very fine people on both sides,” Biden reiterated that this incident spurred him to run for president. According to a close White House advisor, combating bigotry remains a driving force behind Biden’s pursuit of a second term.
Biden’s NAACP remarks align with his broader message advocating for a second term, emphasizing the defense of freedoms against right-wing extremism aimed at reversing decades of progress in education, employment, and reproductive rights. “My predecessor and his MAGA friends are responsible for taking away other freedoms from the freedom to vote to the freedom to choose,” Biden asserted. “But I’ve always believed the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed.”
