Movement for Black Lives Responds to Biden’s Address to Congress

President Joe Biden addressed Congress for the first time and called on lawmakers to pass the Justice in Policing Act. Karissa Lewis, National Field Director of Movement for Black Lives, issued the following statement:

As President Biden marks one hundred days in office this week, Black communities need bolder and bigger action from this administration to protect our rights and lives. In his address to Congress, President Biden called on Congress to pass the Justice in Policing Act, but this legislation is not enough to meet the demands of our movement and this moment.

The Justice in Policing Act relies on a flawed, dangerous idea that the system can fix itself, and invests in the same police departments that are killing Black people every single day. So-called reforms have always failed to protect us — preventing the “no-knock” warrant did not save Breonna Taylor’s life nor did a chokehold ban save the life of Eric Garner. We’ve long passed the point where any politician can credibly claim that passing ‘reforms’ or throwing more money at the police will make Black people safer.

If President Biden and Congress want to demonstrate a commitment to Black lives, we need The BREATHE Act, which divests taxpayer dollars from brutal and discriminatory policing, takes the focus away from police and puts it back on the people. History is clear that we cannot achieve genuine safety and liberation until we abandon our country’s deadly systems of policing and look towards solutions that reimagine public safety entirely like The BREATHE Act.

A massive grassroots coalition made up of Fair Fight Action, The Movement for Black Lives’ Electoral Justice Project, The Frontline, Black Voters Matter, NAACP, and The New Georgia Project will spend the next 100 days hosting actions, teach-ins, and more to demand the Biden administration protect our right to vote, enshrine our right to protest, and ensure through bold policymaking that no one else dies from racialized violence over the next 100 days of the Biden administration. Join us Friday April 30th at 7:00 PM ET for the campaign kickoff.

Keep it 100 isn’t just a call to action, it’s a demand for accountability. We can acknowledge progress while pushing for more – our very survival depends on it. Black-led organizations are coming together to demand our elected leaders use their power to protect our democracy and our rights. Over the next 100 days, we will organize and mobilize our movements to ensure that Congress answers to the people by passing the For the People Act (SR1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR4).

Take action right now. Call and write on your senator and demand they advance these important pieces of legislation.

This summer we link together and #KeepIt100 by collectively taking action to demand impactful action from our elected officials. Join the kickoff tomorrow.

In Power,

The Movement for Black Lives

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A version of this post was previously published on m4bl.org.

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