Delaware African American leaders defend Biden: 'Joe has been our champion'
Two black leaders in Delaware came to former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE’s defense, writing an op-ed casting the White House hopeful as a champion for civil rights amid heightened scrutiny over his decades-long tenure representing the state in the Senate.
Richard “Mouse” Smith, the former president of the Delaware NAACP, and Sam Latham, the former president of the Delaware AFL-CIO and the first African American to hold the position, wrote in an op-ed in Blavity Tuesday that Biden has “been our champion” on civil rights and is a reliable ally in the fight against racism.
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“For decades Joe has been at the forefront of advancing and safeguarding equal rights and combating institutional racism,” Smith and Latham wrote. “Now, as he campaigns for the presidency, he’s continuing to champion progressive policies in health care, education, criminal justice, climate change, and more, that all speak directly to the needs of black and brown people.”
The op-ed comes as the Biden campaign continues to deal with the fallout of an exchange with Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.) at last month’s primary debate in which she confronted the former vice president over his comments praising his ability to work with segregationist senators and opposition to federally-mandated busing.
Smith and Latham slammed Biden’s critics, saying they offer “mischaracterizations” of his record that are “misguided” and “wrong.”
“From his civil rights record and work to integrate Delaware’s communities to his relationship with avowed segregationists and opposition to school busing, politicians, reporters, and pundits alike have all sought to capitalize on perceived missteps in these areas,” they wrote.
“They seek to undermine Joe’s campaign for president by incorrectly casting him as out of touch, culturally incompetent, and incapable of grasping the diversity and complexities of today. They also falsely distort the character and integrity of someone who has successfully dedicated his life’s work towards advancing civil rights and addressing systemic racism.”
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The two leaders went on to tick off a list of Biden’s accomplishments in state government and the Senate, including fighting for public housing in Wilmington suburbs, supporting extensions of the Voting Rights Act, backing anti-lynching legislation and working in the Obama administration to address racial disparities in criminal sentencing.
“We Delawareans, and many African Americans around the country know who Joe is, and who he always has been. Joe has been our champion, rolling up his sleeves to take on the issues facing the Black community,” they wrote.
The Biden campaign has sought to highlight his commitment to racial justice, including with a new plan released Tuesday to reduce mass incarceration, ahead of next week’s debate, in which he will again face off against Harris.