On the eve of President Biden’s first 100 days in office the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW) convened a National Virtual Forum to evaluate the progress of his administration so far in addressing issues of vital concern to Black voters.
IBW assembled a stellar Panel of prominent African American political analysts, commentators and civil rights/human rights advocates from around the country to conduct the assessment which included:
- Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Author, Political Economist, Commentator, Washington, DC
- LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voter Matters, Atlanta, GA
- Bill Fletcher, Author, Labor and Social Justice Activist, Washington, DC
- Tamika Mallory, Co- Founder, Until Freedom, New York, NY
- Dr. Greg Carr, Chairman, Africana Studies Department, Howard University
- Pastor Michael McBride, Co-Founder, Black Church PAC, Berkley, CA
- A’Dorian Murray-Thomas, School Board Member, Newark, NJ
- Kyleesha Wingfield-Hill, Policy Advisor, Office of the Mayor, Newark, NJ
- Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President/CEO, Congress of Black Women, Washington, DC
- Jamecia Gray, Manager, Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice Project, Miami, FL
Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Newark, NJ hosted the Forum and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Jackson, MS was a Special Respondent.
Moderated by Rev. Mark Thompson, Host of the Make It Plain Podcast and Nkechi Taifa, Esq., Author of the highly acclaimed book Black Power, Black Lawyer, the Panelists engaged in a lively, informative and sometimes provocative evaluation of Biden’s performance on several issues ranging from the Economy, Covid-19 Response, Voting Rights, Criminal Justice and Police Accountability, Gun Violence to Reparations, Equity Policies and Cabinet Appointments.
In grading his First 100 Days, the majority of the Panelists gave Biden a “pass,” with some giving him an “incomplete.” The majority of the Panelists also expressed “cautious optimism” that moving forward Biden will attempt to meet the demands and expectations of Black America. There was universal agreement that Black leaders, organizations and advocates must keep the pressure on to push Biden to vigorously speak to and implement his “Lift Every Voice” Black Agenda.
Dr. Ron Daniels, President of IBW said: “I am absolutely thrilled that IBW convened such a powerful and much needed assessment of President Biden’s First 100 Days. It’s not enough to vote for a candidate and trust him/her to do the right thing. We must always hold candidates accountable for the promises they make based on a Black Agenda. Biden said he would have our back. It’s up to us to demand that he keep his word.”
Thousands of viewers watched the Livestream of the forum on the IBW Website (ibw21.org) and on several social media platforms. The two-hour forum is archived for viewing on demand at IBW’s YouTube channel.
Video
Streamed live on April 29, 2021 — A panel of Black America’s leading scholars, analysts and activists grade President Biden’s performance during his first 100 days in office.
