Legendary actress Lynn Whitfield shared her history and what she went through growing up. Whitfield said Presidential candidate Joe Biden understands what it feels like to be from underprivileged communities.
What We Know:
- Whitfield said she grew up in Baton Rouge and talked about the experiences she faced. “In my family, public service was woven into everything we did. We’d sit around the kitchen table and talk about politics at just about every meal. I grew up around people who were aware that you’re supposed to serve. It was a part of my training.”
- She mentioned that her mother was a volunteer driver for the Baton Rouge bus boycott and was an active member of the NAACP. Her aunt was also a part of the longest-running school desegregation suit in the country. Her grandfather was a country doctor who lived to served the community. When patients weren’t able to afford his services, he would create a payment plan and do as many procedures as he could for free.
- She also opened up about how she grew a love and appreciation for the entertainment industry. She was highly influenced by Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, and Sidney Poitier. She said what inspired her was their activism and their acting.
- She said that isn’t what is taught in the Donald Trump era. Whitfield said the one candidate that can change and reunite the country is former Vice President Joe Biden because public service was heavily influenced in his life. She was quoted saying, “Joe has never lost sight of his North Star: serving the country he loves.”
- Biden was 29-years-old when he entered the Senate. The moment that captured his spirit was the day Biden stood with former President Barack Obama and signed the Affordable Care Act. The ACA helped 100 million Americans have no limit on coverage if they were to have a pre-existing condition like cancer, diabetes, heart disease or depression. Young adults were able to stay on their parent’s plan until they were 26-years-old. Since Obama has stepped down, the Republican Party as well as President Donald Trump are trying to eliminate the law altogether.
- This is why the Democrats are trying to nominate a candidate that can build on the Affordable Care Act. It was said that Biden would build to the ACA and help provide Americans with more choices, reduced health care costs and help make the health care system more simple to use.
- Whitfield said that this is incredibly important at a time that childbirth deaths in the black community are at an all-time high. She also added that this was incredibly personal to Biden because he experienced many tragedies in his life. “Like his son Beau, my father and aunt succumbed to this dreadful disease, while my mother and another aunt are, thankfully, cancer survivors. More than his spearheading research, he understands that too many Americans lie awake at night, wondering how they will continue to make ends meet if one of their loved ones becomes ill. And just like my grandfather, Joe is committed to making sure no one goes bankrupt because they get sick.”
- What inspired Biden to run for office was the long struggle of civil rights and voting rights. Whitfield said, “The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was an important first step in our nation finally living up to the promise of its founding, but that was only the beginning of the fight.” Biden was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and he led the fight to extend its protection for 25 years in 1982.
- As a presidential candidate, Biden will stand up to the attacks and the Voting Rights Act. He understands that every American deserve a voice in democracy.
- With the upcoming election, Whitfield said that she will keep this in mind: “The world is wrong, let’s right it. The battle is hard, let’s fight it. The road is rough, let’s clear it. The future vast, don’t fear it. Is faith asleep? Let’s wake it. Because today is ours, let’s take it.”
Whitfield believes as soon as Biden takes office, the U.S. will be “great again”.
