‘That’s Not Being Woke, That’s Being Honest!’ Biden Talks Civil Rights In MLK Day Speech, Says Won’t ‘Remain Silent on Abuses of the Past’
President Joe Biden took aim at critics who deride the teaching of past racial and social injustices in American history as “woke” during his keynote speech at the National Action Network’s annual Martin Luther King Day breakfast on Monday.
While discussing a whole host of topics and policy items, Biden eventually landed on the topic of civil rights.
“Last year, I also held the first of its kind White House summit against hate-fueled violence that many of you called for and supported. Rev, thank you for that as well,” Biden said, mentioning Reverend Al Sharpton, who introduced Biden.
“Together, we’re saying it out loud and we’re saying it clearly that in America, hate will not prevail. As my dad used to say, But it’s not original to him. He’d say, ‘Silence is complicity. Silence is complicity,’” Biden continued, adding:
We cannot remain silent even if all we’re doing is pointing it out and putting pressure on them to change. Silence is complicity, for example. With your help, I signed a law a hundred years in the making to finally make lynching a federal hate crime. To silence, as your dad said, the crying voice of little Emmett Till screaming from the rushes of the Mississippi, folks it takes too long.
“You just saw me at the bill signing for other victories to enshrine marriage equality to the law to make Juneteenth the first new federal holiday since the establishment of Dr. King’s birthday. The idea. If I can hold a second here, the idea that we’re supposed to remain silent on the abuses of the past as they didn’t, as if they didn’t occur,” Biden declared.
“That’s not being woke. That’s being honest. That’s talking about history,” he added.
“Well, folks, but we have a lot of unfinished work to do, though. A lot of unfinished work. We have to keep building on it and defend our progress because this new Congress, this new Congress look, I know I get criticized from some of you and some folks in our party, my party, but I’m ready to work with the new Republican House on any Republican or any Republican in Congress to make progress for the people of America,” Biden continued.
“But like many Americans, I was disappointed to see the very first bill that the House, the House Republicans and Nancy, you were probably rolling over when you saw it, are bringing to the floor that would help the wealthy people and big corporations cheat on their taxes at the expense of ordinary middle-class taxpayers,” Biden said, concluding:
You know, all these new IRS aides we have is because they fired a lot of them and a lot are retiring. And guess what? Who needs serious agents to know what to do and are not doing? The billionaires, the multi multimillionaires. And according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this one bill alone will add $114 billion to the deficit.
Biden then went on to discuss the new Republican majority in the House.
Watch the full clip above via CNN
