WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — President Joe Biden and his administration drew attention Tuesday to what he calls one of the worst attacks of racial violence in U.S. history.
“To all the descendants of those who suffered, to this community, that’s why we’re here,” the president said.
One hundred years ago, Black Americans were attacked and killed by a white mob in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, neighborhood known as Black Wall Street.
“For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence. Cloaked in darkness. But just because history is silent, it doesn’t mean that it did not take place,” Biden said while in Tulsa Tuesday.
To combat racial inequality, Biden says his administration is taking action to address racial discrimination in the housing market and will boost federal purchasing from small disadvantaged businesses by 50%.
“And we’re committed to changing that,” the president said.
The president will also include investments in his American Jobs Plan to build wealth and opportunities in communities of color. He wants to reaffirm his commitment to address and deal with systemic racism and advance racial justice throughout the U.S.