LIVE: President Joe Biden to address the NAN convention virtually | LIVE: President Joe Biden to address the NAN convention virtually U.S. President Biden will deliver a virtual keynote address at the 2024 Annual... | By Reuters | Thank you. Thank you very much and certainly to all of you that have been here the last 2 days, 33 years of National Action Network. In year 2000, Nash Action Network was able to get the two candidates for presidential democratic nomination, Al Gore and Senator Bill Bradley to debate for the first time at the Apollo Theater. Four years later, I ran for president. But four years after that, which is now 16 years ago, every candidate, Democratic candidate for president, came to this for our convention. One of those candidates was then Senator Joe Biden And every four years since the presidential candidates and all the president would come. President Barack Obama came twice. One time in each turn President Joe Biden came and spoke last January at the Martin Luther King Breakfast National Action Network had. The first Martin Luther King holiday after the Biden, after the Obama Biden White House, President Joe Biden been vice president, came and spoke in this hotel as Vice President. I say that to say that yes, we are an organization that protests. Yes, we're an organization that marches. We are now marching about DI. We're also an organization that has concrete programs and unitly chapters. We are an organization that Echo. If any hecklers are here, I'm the heckler in chief. You will not heckle. Out Heck me today. But we engage those in power to advance what is good for all Americans. And to do what is right for all of us that have been overlooked and disadvantaged. I have known Joe Biden before he was president. He's always been candid and always been straight. And he's always did what he said he would do. He has always said to us that he Never mislead us in a conversation even if there may be areas of disagreement but I must remember that in January of twenty twenty, when there was the gathering of candidates to run for president Joe Biden had not decided what he was going to do. But he came at my invitation to Nash Action Network's breakfast as a former vice president. And he's that Martin Luther King the third eye in the back room and he said this ugliness in Charlotteville. Did you hear what this guy said referring to his predecessor. And he says you know Al I think I may run. He says, we've got to save the country. And he based on that Later, he did decide to run. And the morning before Jim Clyburn endorsed him. He came with Jim Clyburn to a minister's breakfast in North Charleston. Hosted by me and National Action Network. I give that background so people won't think he's just doing this viral speech to get votes. He has a history with Nash Action Network. And he has always answered the hard questions and always been there. I've had come off my television show, Politics Nation and he's called me from the White House to discuss things we talked about. He is that kind of person because we want it straight. We don't want anyone to play cadence. We don't want anyone to say what we want to hear. We want the truth, good and bad, and we will know how to handle it from there. Don't talk to us like we're children. Talk to us like we're grown folks. And they are that won our votes that want to take us for granted and show us some gold sneakers and other foolishness we want to know about concrete things and what have you done for me lately. In that spirit, I bring to you live from the White House, the President of the United States, President Joe Biden. Thank you, Rev. Thanks for that introduction. Look, we've known each other for a long time. I'm grateful not only for your leadership and partnership but quite frankly, more importantly, for your friendship and thanks to all of you, members of our nation's most important civil rights organizations. You know, for more than 30 years, the National Action Network has been on the front lines and the work to redeem the soul of America. We've been on the same page The work is as important as ever been. You know, your convention You heard from members of the most diverse administration in history, our administration. Starting with our Vice President Kamala Harris, who's doing an incredible job in my view. And so is Steve Benjamin, who's with us, he's with you guys tonight, right now. Together, we've kept our promises to make some of the most significant investments in the black American community ever. Promise kept to get through the pandemic. And make sure the black community was not left behind. And everyone was taken care of. Put checks in to cut black child poverty in half. Promise kept to rebuild all of America. Reconnecting black communities that have been cut in half by interstate highway systems with jobs and opportunities as well. To ensure that every community has access to clean water and high-speed internet. Promise kept to protect and expand Obamacare. Saving black families $800 a year on their premiums. A promise kept to beat big pharma by giving Medica a power to negotiate lower prescription and drug prices, literally saving countless lives and underserved communities. For example, members of the black community who need insulin now are only for because of their diabetes, not only have to pay $35 dollars a month for insulin instead of 400 a month. And there's much more to come by the way. A promise cap to invest in historic $7 billion dollars in HBCUs. To relieve student debt for more than 4004 million people so far. A significant number of black borrowers. Including just today, I announced another two hundred and 000 Americans. A significant number of black borrowers are also having their debt forgiven. A promise kept to advance justice. The first black woman on the Supreme Court, and more black women confirmed for the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and all previous presidents combined. Every single one. Most important executive order on police reform, to ban choke greatly restrict no-nock warrants, advance effective, and accountable community policing. A promise kept to sign the most significant gun safety law in decades. The first law making lynching a federal hate crime. Keeping my promise that noone should be in federal prison for merely possessing marijuana. A promise kept to advance environmental justice and to make the most significant investments in climate ever in all of our history. That's delivering clean energy and jobs all across America. Results real. We've reduced black unemployment rate to its record low. More black Americans have health insurance than ever before. More black businesses are starting up than we've seen in the last 25 years. In fact, despite attacks on our support for brown and black small businesses, we're investing in them. As key ways to build generational wealth in communities. Today, I'm proud to announce that last year we awarded $76 billion dollars in federal contracts to small disadvantaged businesses. To level the playing field, and close the racial wealth gap. I also want to thank my dear friend, Hud Secretary Marsha Fudge, for an amazing career of public service, for leading the charge, making housing more affordable. For proposing a 10 000 tax first-time home, ten, 000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers. The building more more rental units to bring rents down than ever before. We've launched a major effort to root out bias in home appraisal process. So, homes and black communities are no longer undervalued compared to the same home in a white community. Thus far, we've eliminated that gap by 40 percent and we're going to continue to lose even. Put it all together. Black wealth is up 60%. Up 60%. And the raci Wealth Gap is closed the most in 20 years. You know, I would argue this is transformational change. We know there's much more work to do. There are real threats we face. The more extreme voices out there who simply don't want to see people of color in the future of our country. They want to turn back the clock. voter suppression, election suppression, ripping away reproductive freedom, getting affirmative action, gutting it, and attacking divers across American life. Banning books. This is 20twenty-four. Banning books. Attempting to erase history. Embracing political violence like what happened on January the sixth. These extremists are determined to erase the progress we've made. But together we are determined to make history. Not erase it. Make history. Not erase it. Let me close with this rev. You know we face a moment of choosing. At a time when our very democracy is at stake. That's not an exaggeration. Our democracy is a state. One vision is propelled by anger, hate, revenge, and retribution. The other vision, our vision, your vision of perseverance, progress, hope, and optimism. And everything the National Action Network stands for and embodies. Here's the future we can build together. I see in America where we defend democracy. We don't diminish it. I see America where with your help, I signed the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the law. Where I signed the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act in the law. Where we make Roe V Wade the law of the land again and we can do that. I see a future. We give hate, no safe harbor. Call out the poison of white supremacy. I see an America where the economy grows from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. And where the wealth he finally began to pay their fair share of taxes. We're working people finally have a fair shot with childcare, elder care, paid leave, one of the only nations in the world done that paid leave. I see a future where we save the planet from a climate crisis. And our country from gun violence. You know my administration just yesterday expanded back two days ago. Expand the background checks. But that's not enough. We'll ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, we did it once. We gotta do it again. We must get it done. And folks, I we can do this. I've never been more optimistic about our future. You know, we just remember who we are. We're the United States of America. We've come out of every crisis stronger than we've gone into it. And there's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. We act together. So let's keep acting together. I'm looking to you for help. I'm looking to you for leadership and I hope you look to me for the same. God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you very much.