On the morning of Independence Day, clinched 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden took to social media with a short but powerful video that speaks not just to the storied history of our troubled nation, but to the importance of the change needed to correct this country’s course. It was, in a word, presidential.
Contrasted against the hate-filled viruspalooza that soon to be ex-President Donald Trump hosted in South Dakota the day before, Biden’s message is a refreshing delight. The former vice president tackled the hypocrisy of the Founding Fathers’ words, then and now, touching on slavery, gender inequality, police brutality, the Civil Rights Movement, the fight for LGBTQ+ equality, and even the Memorial Day murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers.
Biden’s words were made even more meaningful due to the images running beneath his voice.
Here’s the short but meaningful 97-second video.
The transcript is below, but if you’re able to watch it, please do. The imagery is as potent as Biden’s warmly delivered words.
Our country was founded on an idea: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
We’ve never lived up to it. Jefferson himself didn’t. He held slaves. Women were excluded. But once proposed, it was an idea that couldn't be constrained. It survived the ravages of the Civil War, the dogs of Bull Connor, the assassination of Martin Luther King, and more than 200 years of systemic racism … and just weeks ago, the murder of George Floyd.
Through it all, these words have gnawed at our conscience and pulled us toward justice. American history is no fairy tale. It’s been a constant push-and-pull between two parts of our character: the idea that all men and women—all people—are created equal, and the racism that has torn us apart.
We have a chance now, to give the marginalized, the demonized, the isolated, the oppressed, a full share of the American dream. We have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country. We have a chance to live up to the words that founded this nation.
This Independence Day, let’s not just celebrate the words. Let’s celebrate that promise, and commit to work—the work we must do to fulfill that promise. We remain locked in the battle for the soul of this nation, but believe me—truly—it’s a battle we can and we will win, if we act together.
Happy Fourth.
Be safe out there, folks, however you spend this day. We need you healthy as we fight for victories from the top of the ticket on down this November.