National Black Justice Coalition Responds to President Biden’s State of the Union Address
CONTACT: Jordan Wilhelmi | jordan@unbendablemedia.com
WASHINGTON – Following President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Dr. David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a leading Black LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, issued the following statement:
“Tonight’s State of the Union was an opportunity for President Biden to address the most pressing issues facing our country, including those most directly impacting the Black LGBTQ+/Same-Gender Loving (LGBTQ+/SGL) community.
”We applaud the President for highlighting critical areas the National Black Justice Coalition has advocated for early and often with the administration. Important priorities mentioned included fighting for culturally competent mental health programs for youth, expanding telehealth services following the end of the COVID-19 emergency, increasing research for diseases that disproportionately impact our community, and emphasizing the importance of privacy, algorithmic impacts on civil rights, and content moderation on digital platforms.
“We also applaud the President and his entire administration for the breadth of policies and laws over the last two years that have improved our quality of life – despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to ensuring Black LGBTQ+/SGL people across the country know how to access life-saving advancements such as insulin being capped at $35, trans-inclusive Violence Against Women Act programs, the new national suicide hotline 988, and affordable internet access.
“To finish the job of transforming public safety, we would like to see him prioritize investigating police departments that have failed to hold accountable or investigate the deaths and hate crimes committed against the Black LGBTQ+/SGL community, signing a law that ends qualified immunity and mandates the duty to intervene in police violence, and urging the FBI to solve more stolen lives cases local police refuse to solve the second half of his term. We recommend that he decriminalizes sex work, cannabis, and loitering – laws that disproportionately impact Black LGBTQ+/SGL people.
“We urge him to direct the Office of Management and Budget to establish a cross-government commission on racial reconciliation, truth, and reparations for the descendants of enslaved Americans. We urge him to work with the National Archivist to place the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.
“We urge him to work with Congress to pass the Equality Act, the John Lewis Voting Advancement Act, PReP Access for All Act, the Women’s Health Protection Act, and the REPEAL HIV Act.
“Our ability to thrive in our communities is not a partisan issue. Defending democracy requires all hands on deck. We urge President Biden and his administration to take bold action to ensure that the Black LGBTQ+/SGL community is safe and able to participate in democratic institutions and practices like schools and voting.”