Civil Rights leaders met with President Joe Biden Friday to discuss the issues of voting rights, criminal justice and police brutality.
Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League; Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN); Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP; Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; and Thelma Daly, chair of the National Council of Negro Women, appeared before the press on Friday after privately meeting with Biden to discuss solutions for issues plaguing the Black community.
Other participants in Friday’s meeting included Cedric Richmond, former senior advisor to Biden; Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
President Biden was also joined by White House officials, including press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre; Susan Rice, assistant to the president and domestic policy advisor; Keisha Lance Bottoms, senior advisor to the president for public engagement; and Sherice Perry, chief of staff for public engagement.
Following the meeting, Morial addressed reporters outside of the West Wing of the White House. He told reporters, including theGrio, that there is “a state of emergency for American democracy.”
“[The] president’s speech last night aligned, confirmed and echoed that message,” said Morial. “Why do we say there’s a state of emergency? Since 2008, there’s been a concerted effort to suppress, dilute, intimidate and undermine the abilities of our community to participate at the ballot box.”
