By U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore
U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore
Black History Month is a celebratory time in our country. It provides an opportunity to not only reflect on the struggle and sacrifices made by leaders in past generations, but also an opportunity to highlight the ways we are making history today.
We made history right here in Wisconsin when we helped elect Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as the first Black and woman Vice President in our nation’s history. And since then, President Biden and Kamala Harris have delivered real and meaningful accomplishments for our communities.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, Black Wisconsinites have experienced historic representation in our federal government and a historic level of investment from our federal government.
On the campaign trail, Joe Biden ran on a promise to help even the playing field so that African- Americans have equal opportunities in this country. He’s kept that promise. The Biden-Harris administration has centered advancing equity in their economic agenda. And we’re seeing the results.
The rate of Black business ownership has more than doubled since the pandemic, and the unemployment rate for Black workers has reached a record low under Joe Biden.
Black wealth is up 60% since 2019 and the racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in decades.
It’s not hard to see why – job creation in the state of Wisconsin is way up, with Biden creating more jobs just last year. That’s more than any year under Donald Trump.
As Bidenonomics continues to build our economy from the bottom up and middle out, Milwaukee’s proud history as a manufacturing city is strengthened, and Black workers in Milwaukee reap the benefits.
Joe Biden has also made diversifying our courts a top priority, appointing a record amount of Black women and judges with varied backgrounds.
In 2022, the president made good on his commitment to appoint the first Black woman Supreme Court justice with the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson. In less than 4 years, President Biden has appointed the most diverse cabinet in American history, and appointed more Black women to federal appeals courts than every other president combined.
As we look to November, it’s important to understand that we stand to lose so much that we’ve gained if Donald Trump makes his way back into office. Donald Trump’s administration was a disaster for Wisconsin, and we shouldn’t forget that.
Under Trump, the unemployment gap for Black workers spiked, and we faced record numbers of small business closures. Thanks to Joe Biden, though, we’re in a Black small business boom.
The extremist judges appointed by Trump proudly cast the deciding votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, and now, Trump wants to enact a nationwide abortion ban, which would only exacerbate the maternal health disparities Black women already face. Joe Biden, on the other hand, is committed to strengthening and restoring reproductive rights for women.
Every year, Trump proposed cuts to programs like Medicare and Social Security, threatening the systems our seniors rely on, but President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to strengthening these critical programs.
While Trump’s tax scam made the racial wealth gap even worse and left little to “trickle-down” to Black families, President Biden’s American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit, cutting poverty among Black children by more than 50 percent.
It’s clear that the stakes are far too high, and the choice for stronger Black communities is clear. It’s urgent that we reject Trump’s attempts to roll back all the progress we’ve made. We must re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and say loud and clear that we’re not letting Donald Trump take us backwards.