Feb. 27 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a White House event commemorating Black History Month on Monday, saying America is a stronger nation by fully examining its past.
Biden and Harris opened their speeches by emphasizing the importance of learning and remembering Black history.
Biden said this is one of the reasons he hosted a Black History Month screening of the film Till, which is based on the true story of Emmett Till's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, who sought justice for her son's brutal killing in 1955. The White House screened the film earlier this month.
"We can't just choose to learn what we want to know," Biden said. "We have to learn everything. The good, the bad, the truth, and who we are as a nation."
Harris echoed Biden's comments.
"Let us all be clear. We will not as a nation build a better future for America by trying to erase America's past," Harris said. "This month and all year around we must recognize the full arc of our nation's history."
The White House shared a fact sheet earlier in the day touting the positive effect legislation passed by the Biden-Harris administration has had for Black Americans, such as the Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan.
According to the White House, child poverty has been cut to record lows for Black children because of the expansion of programs such as the Child Tax Credit and the American Rescue Plan. And more economic opportunities have been created, Biden administration officials say, particularly in support of Black-owned businesses.
The vice president touched on how legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan is combatting systemic problems that have historically created inequity in the health and homes of Black Americans.
"When we, for example, replace every lead pipe in the nation and put more electric buses on the road we not only fight the climate crisis -- we invest in infrastructure and all of those babies who should not have to drink toxic water," she said.
"We fight the crisis of maternal mortality and other health inequities, understanding it is about elevating our response to a public health crisis and it is also about addressing systemic inequities that led to those outcomes in the first place."
The president said his administration is removing hurdles to home ownership, which he said is one of the best ways to close the racial wealth gap. On the business front, he said Black-owned businesses have been left out on federal contracts in the past because previous administrations did not demand that products be made in America.
"Back in 1933 they passed a 'buy American' legislation. It says the money the president of the United States is given by the Congress to award contracts -- you should buy American first," Biden said. "Guess what, the vast majority of previous presidents didn't apply it. But if you want to build anything in America, it's got to be an American product."
Biden continued that he has committed to increasing the number of contracts awarded by the president to "Black and Brown small businesses" by 15%.
Biden said unemployment is at record lows for Black workers while wages are up. More Black Americans are covered by health insurance than ever before, he said.
The president exclaimed that his administration has appointed more Black women to the federal circuit court system than all other administrations combined, receiving a roar of applause. He followed by stating that more needs to be done to reform law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
"No one should be in prison for the mere possession of marijuana," he said. "Too many minorities are in prison for that. We should pardon them, expunge their records as if it never happened so they have a chance again in society."
Biden also pledged to ban assault rifles before his term as president ends.
The White House also touted that Black Americans received the largest portion of Emergency Rental Assistance, making up 41% of recipients of this program.
In Biden's earlier proclamation of National Black History Month, he said the work of attaining a fair and just society continues.
"During National Black History Month, we honor and continue the work of Black Americans who have created a more fair and inclusive democracy, helping our Nation move closer to the realization of its full promise for everyone," Biden wrote.
