News/Commentary

1,400 black women put out letter of support for Biden, blasting lack of Dem unity

July 19, 2024 | | Print Article

President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign got a show of support from a group of black women who criticized the “disrespectful” attempts to change the Democratic ticket.

In a letter released on Thursday, more than 1,400 black women and allies called out the attempts to“circumvent the will of millions of voters who participated in a democratic process” by voting for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during the Democratic primaries.

“The suggestion that any candidate who won their primary should simply step aside because victory appears difficult at the moment is disrespectful to the voters, unjust and undemocratic,” the letter stated.

“The letter is signed by Black powerhouses like Carol Moseley Braun, the first African American woman elected to the senate; Keisha Lance Bottoms, former senior adviser to Biden and former mayor of Atlanta; and Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable,” The Hill reported.

Calls for Biden to step aside rapidly rose to a fever pitch following his disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump last month. In the weeks since, the president’s gaffes, fumbles, and alarming behavior have only added to the optics. This week’s diagnosis of COVID-19 cut short Biden’s campaign efforts as he isolated at his Delaware home, further adding fuel to the fire.

But the signers of the letter contend that one difficult debate should not be the reason for Biden to step aside while his “record” is ignored.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The Biden-Harris Administration is running on a solid record of historic legislative accomplishments and a commitment to finish their agenda to improve the lives of all Americans, protect our rights, freedoms, and democracy,” the letter stated. “Further, we believe it is unfair and disruptive to judge President Biden for having a bad 90-minute debate performance against a serial liar who wants to destroy our democracy and be a dictator-in-chief.”

“History is a great teacher and has taught us that a divided house will fail,” the women wrote. “As Black women, we are uniquely aware of the very real threat a second Trump term poses to our country and especially to our community. But this is not a moment to give in to fear. Instead, we must unify around our deep belief in our values and our ability to effectively engage voters and win up and down the ballot in 2024.”

Before hiding away due to COVID, Biden spoke with BET in an often-cringey interview where he addressed the concerns of black voters.

“History also reflects that Black women are the most reliable voting Bloc for democrats. When black women vote in record numbers, democrats win The White House, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governorships, state legislatures, mayors’ races, and other local races across the nation. When black women lead, organize, mobilize, encourage and influence our families, spouses, partners, nieces, nephews, and neighbors to own their power and vote, democrats win,” the women wrote in the letter.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Now is the time for the Democratic Party to stop the attacks against their own presidential nominee that ‘we the people’ voted for and focus on defeating the real threat to our democracy and that is Donald Trump,” they concluded.

Frieda Powers
Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles