Written By: Karine Jean-Pierre, Senior Advisor to Biden for President and Chief of Staff to the Vice Presidential Nominee, Senator Kamala Harris
I’m going to say something controversial that really shouldn’t be: Black and brown people deserve more from America.
We deserve good jobs yet struggle to make ends meet. We deserve to be healthy but the pandemic still rages. We deserve a high-quality education that’s too often out of reach from preschool to college. We deserve to be able to sleep at night or walk down the street without fearing the police. And yet, we all lay awake at night worrying about our safety and the lives of our loved ones.
These aren’t ridiculous desires. As Cardi B mentioned when discussing what drives her vote, “people think we want so much, but we want really simple things if you really think about it.” Our country is failing us by not ensuring these simple things.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris hear our pain and frustration. That’s why they’re going to fight for the essentials our communities have long deserved.
If elected, Biden and Harris will end the pandemic and make healthcare more affordable. They will eliminate the funding gap between white and non-white school districts and ensure that college is free for working and middle-class families. To build wealth in our communities, the Biden-Harris Administration will invest $150 billion in Black and brown businesses. They will reimagine our criminal justice system by banning chokeholds, ending cash bail and private prisons, and more.
Many politicians, like President Trump, might describe those policies as bold, radical, or unrealistic. In reality, they’re simple — and they’re what we deserve. Voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote in support of leaders ensuring we finally get the things we need to be successful. And it’s a vote to end the controversy whether we deserved them in the first place.