“I may be a white boy, but I’m not stupid”: Biden opens Black History Month speech with homage to historical fraternities and sororities — while he and Kamala slam DeSantis for his war on “awakened” African-American studies
- Biden and Harris celebrated Black History Month at the White House
- He spoke about 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 attack Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ war on “awakened” history.
Biden also spoke about the influence of the so-called “Divine Nine” black Greek organizations that Harris is involved with as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
“I may be a white boy, but I’m not stupid,” Biden said, addressing the clout of the 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 affected the present and potentially our future.” “.
“And let’s all be clear,” she intoned. “We will not, as a nation, build a better future for America by trying to erase America’s past.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a Black History Month reception at the White House, warning 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, to reject an AP course on African-American studies.
The move sparked a court challenge last month among critics who fear a sanitized version of history that leaves out ugly chapters in the nation’s history.
DeSantis tweeted that education is “about the pursuit of truth, not imposing an ideology or pushing a political agenda.”
Biden made his own pitch in that regard, 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 Black History Month reception at the White House. Harris predicted he would get into Howard University
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Education rejected an AP course on African American studies as part of his war on “wake” policies
Harris and Biden could end up getting a ticket against DeSantis if he ends up running for president
They met with lawmakers at the event, including Rep. Al Green, D-Tex., (center right).
Biden speaks alongside NBA Hall of Famer basketball player Nate “Tiny” Archibald at an event celebrating Black History Month
“That’s what great nations do, and we’re a great nation,” Biden said.
He also mentioned the screening he recently did for Till, a film about the lynching of Emmett Till.
“We did a screening because it’s important to say from the White House for the whole country to hear, history matters,” he said.
“We can’t just choose to learn what we want to know. We learn what we should know to learn everything,” he said.