
ABOVE PHOTO: NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson released the following statement in reaction to the news:
“For over a century, the NAACP has been proud to galvanize the Black vote, ensuring our voices are heard on the most pressing policy issues for our community. We recognize that today’s news may come as a shock to Black America. Just last week, President Biden energized thousands of Black voters attending our 115th National Convention in Las Vegas. And for four years, they’ve worked with us, delivering more than $160 billion in student debt cancellation, supporting nearly 10 million families through the Child Tax Credit, and developing our nation’s first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, just to name a few. We understand that this decision was not an easy one, and we thank President Biden for prioritizing the good of the country over personal ambition.
“While today’s news requires a discussion — we cannot be distracted. Our focus must remain on the policies that presidential candidates stand for, not their political performances or personalities. Ahead of November, we must remain all in on educating, engaging and mobilizing Black America. All in on fighting for policies that will advance, not undermine our progress. We must remain all in on our community, standing as a united front as we head to the ballot box to defeat fascism, defend democracy, and determine our futures. The NAACP is all in, are you?”
President Biden’s July 21st announcement came on the heels of the 115th NAACP National Convention, where the president addressed thousands of Black Americans, telling them he believes Vice President Harris is qualified to be president. If elected, Harris would be the first Black female president in United States history.
The National Urban League
National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s announcement that he will not seek reelection and will endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to ascend to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket:

NUL President Mark Morial
(Photo/National Urban League)
“Joe Biden assumed the presidency during an unprecedented moment of racial reckoning and responded with a historic commitment to racial justice and equity, which included the appointment of the most diverse Cabinet in history and the selection of the first woman and first African American Vice President Kamala Harris. President Biden’s commitment and the work of the Biden-Harris Administration has resulted in meaningful policy changes for Black Americans across economic opportunity, education, health care, criminal justice, housing, the environment, and civil rights protections.
“As we noted in the progress report we issued as part of National Urban League’s 2024 State of Black America, parts of the Biden-Harris equity agenda, parts of the Biden-Harris agenda have been blocked by Congress and an ultra-conservative Supreme Court. The next President will have an obligation to pick up the torch and continue the fight.
“For the time that remains in President Biden’s term, we recommit ourselves to that equity agenda, and offer our heartfelt gratitude and admiration for a truly extraordinary and transformative career in public service.
“As we enter the next phase of the presidential campaign, the National Urban League hopes that it will proceed in a spirit of civility and national unity, remaining focused on the unfinished work of creating an equitable and inclusive society that works for all Americans.”
Congressional Black Caucus and CBCPAC
On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, CBCPAC Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks and CBC Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford released the following statement thanking President Biden for his service and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris:

CBCPAC Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks
(Photo/Congress.gov)
“President Joe Biden is the ultimate statesman. He’s dedicated his entire career, amid great personal sacrifice, in service to the values of democracy; civility, freedom and opportunity. He is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished presidents in American history, a trailblazer on the issue of gun safety, a staunch advocate for civil rights, and a bipartisan lawmaker who has created millions of jobs across the country. Americans and democracy-loving people around the world owes Joe Biden a great debt of gratitude.

CBC Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford
(Photo/Shutterstock)
“The Congressional Black Caucus PAC joins President Biden in fully supporting Kamala Harris as our party’s nominee. She has been instrumental in delivering the accomplishments of the last 3.5 years and has led on lowering maternal mortality rates, protecting reproductive freedoms and ensuring economic opportunities for all.
She will do an excellent job as president of the United States.”
Rainbow PUSH Coalition
Rev. Jesse Jackson endorses Vice President Kamala Harris as President Biden steps down:

Rainbow PUSH Coalition founder Rev. Jesse Jackson
(Photo/Shutterstock)
“In a historic move, today President Joe Biden announced his resignation from being the nominee for president of the United States. With an endorsement, he has paved the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to be nominated by the Democratic party as its candidate for the 47th President of America.
“President Joseph Biden has given America 50 years of superb political leadership. Joe Biden’s record is enviable. He marched with auto workers in Detroit and screenwriters in California. He has fought for women’s reproductive health rights. He served as well as he could for as long as he could. And now he demonstrates grace.
I enthusiastically support Vice President Harris in a new role. Her track record as a successful Attorney General for California, US Senator, and her effective co-leadership with President Biden make her an ideal candidate to advance the Democratic agenda. Black women have long been key players in American progress and pillars of the Democratic Party.
I am looking forward to the upcoming Democratic National Convention, where we will unite in Chicago.
Keep hope alive!
National Action Network
Rev. Al Sharpton, the founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), issued the following statement on President Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential election:

NAN founder Reverend Al Sharpton
(Photo/Shutterstock)
“When Joe Biden first ran for President, he told me he was motivated by the ugliness of neo-Nazis and Klansmen marching in Charlottesville. As ballots got counted up, it became clear that the majority of Americans shared in his disgust. As Biden went on to triumph over a fascist, racist president bent on using the power of his to benefit nobody but himself, Biden went to work fulfilling his promise to heal our nation’s soul.
This was not the only campaign pledge President Biden followed through on. For the past three and a half years, the White House has made good on almost every single promise he’s made to Black America. Whether it was his executive order on police accountability, answering our call for a summit on the rise of violent hate, or expanding healthcare access through the Inflation Reduction Act, the President heard Black America and acted. That is on top of championing the protection of voting rights. And he did it all against unrelenting attacks by right-wing MAGA activists.
President Biden has devoted most of his adult life to public service, he has more than paid his dues to our great nation. But he saw what was at stake. This man answered the highest call of his career and saved our fragile democracy from destruction in the process. Our nation is on a better course, especially for Black and Brown Americans, thanks to the work of this Administration.
“We cannot forget the reality of a second Trump term is a real threat. The former president has gotten even more dangerous, emboldened by those he put in our nation’s highest courts. With every hateful rhetoric and constant lies, he exposes his deep desire to use his office to exact revenge against anyone who stood against him and for democracy.
“Despite his claims he has nothing to do with Project 2025, it is directly in line with his brand – not to mention the fact it was written by his former appointees, the very people he trusted to advise him throughout his Presidency. Project 2025 is an existential threat to America that will walk us up to the line of the reconstruction era, where Black, Brown, female, and other communities will see their rights withered to nothing. It’s all too clear that Trump wants to turn back the clock, bring the neo-Nazis and Klansmen out of the shadows once again.
‘Vice President Harris and every Black woman in a seat of power are already under attack. Democrats and all Americans who trust in the fundamentals of democracy, freedom, and equality must put aside their differences to rally behind them. The attacks we have seen will only be supercharged as she prepares to take on Donald Trump this November. Racist, sexist tropes will be deployed to question every action or accomplishment in her life – just as we saw with Claudine Gay earlier this year. We must remember Vice President Harris was elected by the American people to stand ready to serve as the leader not just of her party but this entire nation. We know the playbook, but we also know her track record as a prosecutor, as Senator and now as Vice President. She has also been a staunch ally of the National Action Network.
“President Biden has turned to her repeatedly for guidance on the most pressing issues facing our community and her fingerprint is on all of the things that the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered for Black America. It will be imperative for all Americans, especially Black men, to stand with her in this historic moment.”
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