To mark the start of Black History Month, NCDP Chair Bobbie Richardson and NCDP African American Caucus President Collette Alston released the following joint statement: 

“Every day since their first day in office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken a strong approach in addressing the lasting impacts of systemic racism and delivered real and lasting change for Black Americans – making good on their word to lead an administration dedicated to advancing the American promise of equal opportunity for all. 

“In North Carolina, President Biden’s American Rescue Plan has provided critical relief to Black-owned small businesses, lowered health care costs for lower-and middle-income families and invested in promoting equitable vaccine distribution across our state. Since January of 2021, the Biden-Harris administration has delivered a historic $5.8 billion to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including the ten HBCUs that currently call North Carolina home. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will continue to build upon these results by creating new economic opportunities and making long overdue investments in North Carolina’s Black communities.

“Throughout the month of February and all year long, North Carolina Democratic Party’s African American Caucus recognizes the significance and power of the Black vote. With the 2022 midterms less than ten months away, we are committed to pushing for complete voter participation in order for the Biden-Harris administration to continue these great efforts that will have lasting effects on our culture now, and for years to come.”

President Biden and Democrats are delivering for Black America: 

• Thanks to Democrats, during the Biden-Harris administration, approximately 360,000 Black Americans who get their health care through Obamacare have had their premiums lowered, with the average family saving $40 a month per person. Hundreds of thousands of Americans covered through the ACA now pay premiums as low as $10 a month.

• The Biden-Harris administration is committed to improving maternal health outcomes, including addressing the unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity that disproportionately impact Black mothers and families.
  • In December, Vice President Harris issued a nationwide call to action to both public and private sectors to improve health outcomes for Black mothers and their children.
  • President Biden’s FY 22 budget request includes more than $200 million to bolster Maternal Mortality Review Committees, implement implicit bias training for health care providers, and create State pregnancy medical home programs, among other actions. It also includes $6 billion for the critical Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to help vulnerable families put healthy food on the table and address racial disparities in maternal and child health outcomes.

• President Biden implemented a law to ban surprise medical billing and require medical facilities to come correct.

• President Biden’s American Rescue Plan helped Americans stay in their homes by providing emergency aid to cover back rent, including $21.6 billion in emergency aid for low-income renters.
  • The American Rescue Plan also provided $10 billion in aid for struggling homeowners to pay their mortgage and $4.5 billion to help homeowners and renters pay utility costs. 

• Under the Biden-Harris administration, minority-owned small businesses have been the recipients of billions of dollars, allowing services to resume and workers to stay employed.
  • $8.7 billion from the Emergency Capital Investment Program to increase lending to small and minority-owned businesses and people living in communities with limited access to banking.
  • Over $1 billion in loans to Black-owned small businesses through the Small Business Administration’s lending programs.
  • $7.25 billion in additional funds for the Paycheck Protection Program to help keep workers on payroll.
  • $15 billion to businesses in under-served communities, especially minority-owned businesses, via the Economic Injury Disaster Loan grants program.
  • Expanded Paycheck Protection Program loan eligibility to include legal residents to address the disparity in assistance for immigrant-owned businesses, as well as entrepreneurs with certain past criminal records.
    

• The unemployment rate for Black Americans fell from 9.2 percent in January 2021 to 7.1 percent in December 2021, and nationwide over 6 million jobs have been created since President Biden took office — the most of any first year president in history.

• President Biden directed federal agencies to increase the share of federal contracting from small businesses, including Black-owned businesses, by over 50% by 2025.

• President Biden is working to reform our criminal justice system at the federal level, implementing new bans including the use of chokeholds and carotid restraints except where force is necessary. He has also withdrawn prosecutorial guidance issued by the Trump administration to always charge the harshest sentences, and pledged not to renew contracts for privately-operated prisons.
  
• The Biden-Harris administration is taking on the pandemic by taking care of the Black community.

• The American Rescue Plan included funding to improve outreach and education about getting vaccinated in communities of color including $10 billion to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines in the hardest-hit and high-risk communities. Zero Republicans supported this life-saving bill.

• Democrats provided over $36 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to institutions of higher education, including a cumulative $5.8 billion investment in and support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities so far.

• President Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth, a day we remember the emancipation of slaves in the United States and reaffirm our commitment to equality, a federal holiday.

• President Biden had 40 of his federal judge nominees confirmed, prioritizing diversity among his nominees. Around 80% of President Biden’s confirmed nominees were women and more than half were people of color. More Black women were appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals by the Biden-Harris administration than any other administration ever.

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