AGENDA FROM DOMESTIC POLICY
COUNCIL DIRECTOR SUSAN RICE AT
THE DAILY WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING.
JOINING ME NOW NAACP PRESIDENT
AND CEO DERRICK JOHNSON.
VERY GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY.
AN IMPORTANT DAY, BUT I GUESS
THE QUESTION IS HOW FAR IS HE
GOING?
IS HE GOING FAR ENOUGH?
>> THIS IS A GREAT INITIAL
START.
IN FACT, AS I LOOK BACK IN
HISTORY, THIS IS THE ONLY
PRESIDENT THAT HAS STARTED IT
THIS EARLY.
EVEN LYNDON JOHNSON ONLY DID SO
MANY IN CASES UNDER A LEVEL OF
DURESS AND PUBLIC UPHEAVAL.
THIS IS A PRESIDENT THAT MADE A
COMMITMENT DURING THE CAMPAIGN
TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT.
WE HAVE BEEN PROGRESSIVE TO MAKE
SURE IT HAPPENED.
THE FACT HE’S EMBEDDING THIS
INSIDE OF DOMESTIC POLICY
COUNCIL SHOWS THE URGENCY AND
THE GRAVITY OF WHAT’S TAKING
PLACE BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT,
RACIAL EQUITY IS SYSTEM-WIDE.
’S
IT’S NOT ABOUT ONE THING OR
FUNCTION OR SET OF POLICIES.
IT’S EVERYTHING WE DO WITH
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, ASIANS,
LATINOS, WE ARE TAX-PAYING
CITIZENS AND WANT EK WITZABLE
RETURN ON THIS COUNTRY.
>> WHAT ABOUT THE JUDICIAL
SYSTEM?
THERE HAS BEEN SO MUCH VIOLENCE
AGAINST BLACKS.
AND THE COURT SYSTEM, AT LEAST
ACCORDING TO, YOU KNOW, ANY
STATISTIC THAT YOU LOOK AT, THE
MITCH McCONNELL APPROVED, DONALD
TRUMP JUDGES ALMOST ALL WHITE
MEN.
>> UNFORTUNATELY, THE PRIOR
ADMINISTRATION WAS BEING AIDED
AND ABETTED BY MITCH McCONNELL
IN THE SENATE TO STACK THE
COURT, TO TRY TO SWAY THE FUTURE
OF THIS NATION.
WE WOULD ENCOURAGE THIS
PRESIDENT, WE WOULD ENCOURAGE
LEADER SCHUMER TO MAKE SURE WE
RIGHT-SIZE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN
THIS NATION.
IT’S IMPORTANT WE HAVE A
BALANCED COURT SO THAT THE
CONSTITUTIONIST ISTCAN HOLD TO I
CREED, THAT ALL MEN AND WOMEN
ARE CREATED EQUAL WITH
UNALIENABLE RIGHTS.
THAT CAN ONLY HAPPEN WITH WE
HAVE THE RIGHT JUSTICES.
>> SYMBOLS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT.
I DON’T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT.
ALSO ACCORDING TO JEN PSAKI
WE’LL SEE HARRIET TUBMAN REPLACE
ANDREW JACKSON ON THE $20 BILL.
THIS WAS SLOW WALKED.
THIS HAD BEEN APPROVED FOUR OR
FIVE YEARS AGO OR MORE.
AND IT WAS SLOW WALKED BY THE
TREASURY SECRETARY STEVE
MNUCHIN.
WHY IS IT A VERY BIG DEAL?
>> SYMBOLISM IS IMPORTANT,
SUBSTANCE IS BETTER, BUT AT THE
END OF IF DAY, IN ORDER FOR US
TO BE THE MORE PERFECT UNION
THAT WE LEARNED IN CLASS, WE
MUST HAVE A HISTORY THAT
REPRESENTS EVERYONE.
NAACP HAD A FIGHT IN 1915 FOR
THE BIRTH OF THE NATION BECAUSE
WE RECOGNIZED HOW WE ARE VIEWED
ON THE SCREEN IS HOW WE’LL BE
TREATED IN PUBLIC POLICY AND THE
STREET.
WHEN WE HAVE MORE REPRESENTATIVE
THAN SYMBOLS THAT DENOTE ALL OF
AMERICA AND THE SIGNIFICANCE
THAT WE ALL PLAYED, IT ALLOWS
PEOPLE TO SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE
DIVERSITY THAT WE ARE AS A
COUNTRY AND DO AWAY WITH THIS
WHITE SUPREMACIST MENTALITY THAT
HAS CAUSED SO MUCH HARM OVER
TIME.
AND THEY ARE THE TRUE DOMESTIC
TERRORISTS.
THE BIGGEST THREAT TO DOMESTIC
TERRORISM AND WHITE SUPREMACIST
ACTIVITY IS DO DEMOCRACY.
THE SYMBOL OF HARRIET TUBMAN
BEGINS A NEXT STEP OF DEMOCRACY
THAT’S INCLUSIVE OF ALL
PEOPLE -- MEN, WOMEN, BLACK,
WHITE, LATINO, ALL OF US.
>> AND OF COURSE PRESIDENT BIDEN
WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT EVER TO
MENTION WHITE SUPREMACY IN AN
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO REPUBLICANS
WHO SAY THAT THIS FOCUS ON
RACISM BY PRESIDENT BIDEN IS
CREATING DIVISIONS?
>> I THINK THE FOCUS ON RACISM
HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED BY A SET OF
CONSERVATIVES WHO USED RACE TO
TRY TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT RACISM THAT
WAS USED SO EFFECTIVELY IN THE
SOUTHERN REGION HAS NOW BECOME
SUCH A NATIONAL PHENOMENON.
WE HAVE TO SET A COURSE TO
ADDRESS AND RIGHT SIZE THAT
THERE IS NO SUPERIOR RACE.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED IN NAZI
GERMANY.
THERE ARE NO SUPERIOR PEOPLE.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU
CREATE TRIBALISM.
THERE IS ONE NATION.
IN ORDER TO BE ONE NATION, WE