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‘I may be a white guy, but I’m not stupid’: Biden opens Black History Month speech with a tribute to historic fraternities and sororities, as both he and Kamala slam DeSantis for his war on African-American studies’ woken up’
- Biden and Harris celebrated Black History Month at the White House
- He spoke of the influence of the Greek organizations of the ‘Divine Nine’
- Harris warned against efforts to ‘erase’ black history
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris each used a Black History Month event at the White House to criticize Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on the ‘wake-up’ story.
Biden also spoke about the influence of the so-called ‘Divine Nine’ black Greek organizations, in which Harris participates, as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
“I may be a white boy, but I’m not stupid,” Biden said, speaking of the influence of organizations.
Harris, the nation’s first black vice president, told a crowd of guests that “black history is American history” and spoke of celebrating history “that helps us understand how the past has influenced the present and potentially our future”.
“And let’s all be clear,” he intoned. “As a nation, we will not build a better future for America by trying to erase America’s past.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a reception to celebrate Black History Month at the White House, where they warned of efforts to “erase” the nation’s past.
The line sounded like a shot at the move by the Florida Department of Education under DeSantis, which moved to reject an AP course in African-American studies.
The move sparked a court challenge last month among critics who fear a sanitized version of history that omits ugly chapters in the nation’s history.
DeSantis tweeted that education “is about the search for the truth, not the imposition of an ideology or the advancement of a political agenda.”
Biden made his own speech about it, saying “black history matters” and calling for “the good, the bad, the truth, and who we are as a nation.”
High school senior DuWayne Portis Jr. introduces Vice President Kamala Harris at a reception marking Black History Month at the White House. Harris predicted that she would get into Howard University
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Education has rejected an AP course on African-American studies as part of his war against “wake-up” policies.
Harris and Biden could end up on a ticket against DeSantis if he ends up running for president
They met with lawmakers, including Rep. Al Green, D-Tex., (center right) at the event.
Biden speaks alongside NBA Hall of Fame basketball player Nate “Tiny” Archibald at an event to celebrate Black History Month
“That’s what great nations do, and we are a great nation,” Biden said.
He also mentioned the screening he recently did for Untila movie about the lynching of Emmett Till.
“We put on a screening because it’s important to say from the White House, for the whole country to hear, history matters,” he said.
We cannot simply choose to learn what we want to know. We learn what we need to know, to learn everything,’ she said.