BY JIBRIL TURE

In a recent interview with the online magazine TheGrio, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre outlined many things for which she feels African Americans can be thankful to the Biden administration.

Set in against the backdrop of Thanksgiving, a day when families across the United States reunite for a copious meal—with leftovers enjoyed over several days—the interview touched on the economic progress brought by the Biden administration that have benefited primarily lower-income Americans.

“We believe this Thanksgiving, there’s a lot to be thankful for,” the president’s spokesperson told my colleague Gerren Keith Gaynor, adding, “We still have work to do, but we’ve made some progress, and it’s important to point that out.”

It’s a fact, confirmed by a reliable source, the American Farm Bureau Federation, that the cost of the Thanksgiving meal this year is lower than the same meal last year. Jean-Pierre noted that, in fact, it’s the “fourth cheapest ever as a percentage of average earnings.” Not only have the costs of essential ingredients for a Thanksgiving dinner such as turkey, eggs, whole milk, cranberries, and pie crust gone down, but so has the price of gas—down by $1.70 from its peak of last year. A lot of Americans travel long distances by air and by road to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones. The 13% drop in the cost of airline tickets this year, added to the 10% drop in the car rental cost have made a difference for everyone.

If the above, which resulted from the president’s persistent efforts to reduce the cost of living, is enjoyed by the whole population, the Biden-Harris administration has also made specific efforts to improve the lives of the African American population.

Jean-Pierre notes the significant drop of the Black unemployment rate from 9.2% to 5.9% since January 2021 when the new administration took over. The White House Press Secretary also points out the 60% increase of the average black net worth since the pandemic. She however notes that the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites is still wide. “We’re going to continue to create wealth for Black families,” she also says.

Other actions taken by the administration that the black community can be thankful for include fighting the junk fees imposed by banks and the administration’s bold initiative that resulted in lowering the cost of insulin to a cap of $35 per month.

Beyond the economy

Outside the economic sphere, the White House Press Secretary points to the administration’s commitment to fighting police brutality which particularly targets the African American population. Very early on, the administration showed its resolve to promote racial equality among Americans in several ways, one of which was the enactment of legal actions for that purpose just a week after he took office. Another way is the president’s firm denouncement of racial incidents such as the president inviting to the White House a young black teenager, Ralph Yarl, who was shot at point blank in Kansas City, Missouri by a homeowner, purely and simply out of racism.