Advancement Project National Office’s Statement on the Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris as the President & Vice President of the United States
WASHINGTON – Today, Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as the President and Vice President of the United States. The inauguration comes in the shadow of violent Capitol riots in which white supremacist, pro-Trump supporters stormed the legislature as U.S. Representatives and Senators worked to certify the final votes of the Electoral College. Advancement Project National Office, a national civil rights and racial justice organization released the following statement.
“The inauguration of Kamala Harris as the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman Vice President is the result of the tireless work of Black women and others who choose an inclusive democracy over continuing the country’s racist legacy. It is the result of young people of color voting unapologetically for a transformative agenda on policing, voting rights, climate change, education and immigration. This cannot be lost in our conversations around this historic inauguration,” said Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of Advancement Project National Office.
“We also know that the movement for racial justice must continue to organize to hold the new Administration accountable to their promises and to push them farther. With the nation reeling from a global pandemic that’s hitting communities of color hardest, unjust police killings, an economic crisis, and a rapidly deteriorating environment, we cannot afford to go back to the pre-Trump status quo,” continued Dianis. “Communities of color are demanding bold and audacious solutions to the nation’s most pressing issues.
“It is clear that under a Biden-Harris Administration, we must continue organize to protect our democracy. We must fight and thwart disinformation that threatens to silence the voice of Black and Brown communities. We must also work to dismantle the carceral state and invest in the infrastructure that will truly make all people free and safe.”
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