Black Civil Rights Activist Invited to White House Event
Next Week, Speech at Martin Luther King Alma Mater
Trump Leads in 5 of 6 Battleground States
U.S. President Joe Biden has begun efforts to secure the votes of Black voters. This move is interpreted as a response to the recent rise in former President Trump's support among Black voters ahead of their rematch in the upcoming November U.S. presidential election.
According to The New York Times (NYT) on the 16th (local time), President Biden commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling by inviting the original plaintiffs and their families to the White House. The Brown ruling was a landmark case in the history of the American Black civil rights movement, in which Oliver Brown, a Black resident of Kansas at the time, won a lawsuit against the local school board that had denied his daughter admission to a school.
The NYT described Biden's White House invitation event as "one of a series of planned events over the coming days to emphasize President Biden's commitment to the Black community," adding that "Biden's outreach will culminate in a commencement speech at Morehouse College, one of the oldest historically Black colleges in the United States."
On the 17th, President Biden is scheduled to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. to deliver a speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Brown ruling. That same afternoon, he will meet with representatives of historic Black communities alongside Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris, of African-Indian mixed heritage, is also the first Black vice president. On the 19th, Biden plans to visit and deliver a speech at the alma mater of Martin Luther King Jr., a symbol of the Black civil rights movement.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that day, "President Biden honors the legacy of those who fought tirelessly for Black progress and rights," and added, "He will share his vision for how we can continue to preserve the freedoms we have achieved."
The background to Biden's outreach to Black voters appears to be the rising support for former President Trump among Black voters. According to the U.S. research organization Pew Research, Biden received 92% support from Black voter groups during the 2020 presidential election, significantly outpacing Trump. However, a recent NYT-Siena poll showed that Trump's support among Black voters has exceeded 20%, marking the highest level of support ever received by a Republican candidate.
Meanwhile, former President Trump is leading President Biden in five of the six battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin) that will decide the outcome of the November election, except for Wisconsin. Among young voters aged 18-29 and Hispanic voters, who helped secure Biden's victory in the 2020 election, Trump and Biden are tied in support.
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