A Year Later, BIPOC Communities Survey Biden's Broken Promises

Advocates are looking back at the promises the president has made to marginalized communities and are evaluating how far the president still has to go to honor his commitments.

By Alexandra Martinez, Prism

President Joe Biden was lauded a year ago for being the first president to directly address white supremacy as one of the country’s major crises during his inaugural address. He repudiated white supremacy and called for racial justice “400 years in the making.” But one year later, advocates say his administration has fallen short of the promises he made to Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

Before he was elected, Biden promised Black and brown people he would close the racial wealth gap, tackle racial inequity in the education system, address environmental justice, and make the right to vote equal for all Black Americans.

Photo by Gage Skidmore

“Especially at those moments when this campaign was at its lowest ebb, the African American community stood up again for me,” Biden said during a victory speech on Nov. 7, 2020. “You’ve always had my back, and I’ll have yours.”

Now, as Biden heads into his second year in office, advocates are looking back at the promises the president has made to marginalized communities and are evaluating how far the president still has to go to honor his commitments.