Civil rights leaders hope Biden can heal the nation through action

CNN — President Joe Biden called for racial justice and unity in America on Wednesday, acknowledging that the nation has been deeply divided by political forces and systemic racism. And it’s very doable.” Biden, he said, needs to end economic insecurity in communities of color and the “predatory” police treatment of Black people, ensure equitable Covid-19 vaccine access, and remove social media platforms that spread hate. Richard “Mouse” Smith, president of the Delaware NAACP and a lifelong friend of Biden’s, said Biden earned the trust of Black people in Wilmington, Delaware, when he was a New Castle County councilor in the early 1970s who wasn’t afraid to go into the community and discuss their concerns. “He can be a game changer and put evil and racism down.” Biden’s inaugural speech on Wednesday reflected the same “urgency of the moment” with race relations as former President John F. Kennedy’s speech in June 1963, said CNN presidential historian Timothy Naftali. “The Biden and Harris administration have an opportunity to strike a new posture when it comes to the Black agenda as it relates to Black political power.” Biden’s inauguration took place two days after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday which honors the legacy of the civil rights icon who died in 1968.