Weatherspoon: Biden is the right choice for Black Granite Staters

Black Granite Staters don’t take voting for granted. And especially for Black women like me, the right to participate tastes even sweeter.

As we stare down yet another critical presidential election, one thing is clear: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are delivering for Black Americans, while Donald Trump keeps trying to push us backward and take away our freedoms.

I’ve lived in New Hampshire for 37 years, and as a state representative, I helped lead the fight for lawmakers to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day in our state.

Black people know that if we aren’t sitting at the decision-making table, then we’re on the menu. We know the hatred of groups like the KKK that have reared their ugly heads in our state’s not-so-distant history. And we know nonsense when we see it.

Black Granite Staters know exactly who Donald Trump is. We know what he’s done, we see what he’s doing, and he’s told us exactly what he has planned for our future.

Fortunately, the Biden-Harris administration is a champion for Black Americans in New Hampshire and across the country. From creating millions of jobs for Black workers to directly addressing the racial wealth gap, this administration is making historic investments in the well-being of Black Americans.

Let’s start with affordable education. For a community that has previously been denied the opportunity to even read, education is precious to Black voters – and it’s an issue close to my heart as a substitute teacher for over 20 years.

The challenge of expensive tuition and student loans weighs heavily on our community, where 86% of Black students graduate with debt.

President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program has canceled student debt for over 4 million borrowers, including more than 11,000 people in New Hampshire, cutting the average Black borrower’s payments in half.

Nearly $160 billion in student loan debt has been forgiven for borrowers across the country, and the president is continuing the fight to offer more relief.

This makes a huge difference in the lives of Black people right here in New Hampshire – firefighters, police officers, and teachers who’ve already given so much to our communities.

Still, education is just the start. When it comes to jobs and the economy, President Biden is working directly to increase Black wealth and close the racial wealth gap.

While the Black unemployment rate skyrocketed under Trump, President Biden helped create over 2.6 million jobs for Black workers, resulting in record low Black unemployment.

Black business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in 30 years, with the share of Black households owning a business doubling since the pandemic.

And this administration has helped over 250,000 Black Americans become homeowners, increasing median housing wealth for Black households by $76,000.

When it comes to health care, there’s simply no comparison between President Biden and Donald Trump.

Under President Biden, more Black Americans have health coverage than ever before. But under Trump, 300,000 Black Americans lost health insurance, and he’s promised again to repeal Obamacare – a signature accomplishment of the first Black president.

Trump’s obsession with revenge and retribution will rip insurance coverage from over three million Black Americans and raise costs for millions of families.

On the contrary, President Biden is fighting to defend and expand Obamacare. And he’s tackling the Black maternal health crisis by allowing states to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage – impacting approximately 65% of births for Black mothers.

We know how much representation matters. So let’s not forget that Joe Biden has confirmed more Black women to the federal bench than all other presidents combined – including Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.

And like Black voters across New Hampshire, Joe Biden understands the preciousness of our vote. He’s continued to fight for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to stop voter suppression and the Freedom to Vote Act to ensure access to the ballot.

President Biden has shown that he sees us, he knows us, and he’s got our backs. This November, Black Granite Staters are going to have his – and every day until Election Day, Black Granite Staters must continue working diligently to get out the vote so we send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House.

To anyone who’s ever doubted the power of the Black vote – just watch. People died for our right to vote. You better believe we’ll use it.

The Hon. Jackie K. Weatherspoon is a resident of Exeter and has lived in New Hampshire for nearly 40 years. She served for six years in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and worked for the U.S. Department of State during the Clinton administration. She was part of three U.S. delegations with first lady Hillary Clinton.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Weatherspoon: Biden is the right choice for Black Granite Staters