Sincerely, Joe

Hundreds of people write letters, emails and direct messages to Joe Biden every day, with questions, looking for support and leadership, or offering suggestions and ideas. Americans are longing for empathetic leadership and a president who listens to and understands their problems. Joe knows the power of a simple act of kindness — it’s animated his entire career in public life. “Sincerely, Joe” is a conversation with the American people about the challenges they face, the values we share, and the progress we can make if we stand united.

Hi!!

I’m a die-hard Joe Biden supporter, dating back to my years at the College of Charleston where I connected with President Obama about visiting our campus during his campaign.

To give you a brief overview of myself; I’m also an educated black entrepreneur in South Carolina that owns a spa. I have a question for Joe.

What are your goals for helping small businesses like mine recover after COVID-19?

Further, the African American communities have suffered tremendously during this pandemic, what is your plan for equal healthcare treatment for black and brown Americans?

And lastly, while I have internet, a lot of students across America do not. Schools were unable to host and transition to virtual classrooms during their closings due to COVID-19. What will you do about this issue?

I know you can change America! I have faith in you. Please consider the real issues as you did when you served with Obama.

— Sherian

Dear Sherian,

Thank you for reaching out with these thoughtful, important questions. Millions of American families, workers, and small business owners like yourself are concerned, both for their health and safety amid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and for their economic stability. As you point out, we’re seeing that tragically, the health and economic impacts of this crisis disproportionately affect African American and minority communities. But these disparities are not new. They are the result of long-standing, systemic inequalities in our country. Simply put — it is unequivocally and morally unjust, and as a country, we must root out the structural racism that plagues our laws, our institutions, and our hearts.

As we look toward recovery, it is critical that our efforts — and our resources — are distributed equitably to prevent these disparate outcomes, so that funds can actually reach African American families, communities, and small businesses. And while Donald Trump may ignore calls for immediate, targeted relief for minority communities, I will continue to fight for a comprehensive, forward-looking agenda for Black America — one with ambition that matches the scale of the challenge.

Let me be clear: race-neutral policies are not a sufficient response to race-based disparities.

The promise of America, that hard work and fair play will give every person the same chance to get ahead, has been broken, leaving African American business owners and entrepreneurs behind. To eliminate wealth and income gaps, we must invest in the success of minority- and women-owned businesses and we must begin by ensuring economic relief due to COVID-19 reaches the communities that need it most. But the first installment of the Paycheck Protection Program left out far too many minority-owned businesses and an estimated 90% of African-American owned small businesses will not receive loans. We must tailor lending and relief programs to take into account the specific challenges that African American businesses face in accessing funding — including providing technical assistance, and guaranteeing funds for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees.

In addition to far-reaching investments in ending economic disparities, we must also ensure the coronavirus recovery takes on racial health disparities. Early data suggests that African American and minority communities are dying from COVID-19 at a far higher rate than whites — a devastating reality spurred by lack of access to quality, affordable health care and historic environmental inequities in America. African Americans are also more likely to be on the front lines of this pandemic, putting themselves at risk to sustain the economy and keep us safe and fed. We must embolden our efforts to ensure immediate access to quality, affordable health care, as well as priority access to personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing. From housing to environmental policies, there are many other determinants of health we need to address, which is why I’ve called on Congress to enact Senator Harris’ bill to create a task force to address the racial disparities laid bare by this pandemic.

Our nation’s recovery efforts must go beyond immediate relief in order to make whole the families, workers, and businesses who have been hit hardest. Only with sustained investment and rigorous oversight will our communities become more resilient and our wounds begin to heal.

By doubling the State Small Business Credit Initiative to $3 billion, minority- and women-owned businesses will receive close to $30 billion of private sector investment, allowing Black families a fair shot at creating and sustaining wealth for future generations. By protecting and building on Obamacare with a Medicare-like option, we’ll make quality, affordable health care and health equity a reality for African Americans. Programs like Congressman Clyburn’s “10–20–30” Plan will ensure persistently impoverished communities receive federal funds commensurate with challenges they face. And, my administration will target infrastructure projects with good-paying jobs to historically marginalized neighborhoods and invest $20 billion in broadband infrastructure to reach underserved communities, closing the digital divide so that future generations of Americans — no matter their zip code — are given a fair shot to pursue their dreams.

When we launched this campaign, we could not have foreseen the backdrop of the election being a public health and economic crisis that threatens the lives and futures of so many families across this country. But tackling systemic racism, the abuse of power, and discriminatory policies has been a driving force throughout my career, and I am confident we can bring justice to the corners of our society that have for too long been left behind.

Thanks again for writing, Sherian, and for your faith in this campaign.

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Biden, Jr.