Ashley Biden, Joe Biden's youngest child, is no stranger to being in the public eye.
Born in 1981, Biden spent a great deal of time at her father's side when he hit the
campaign trail in his days as a U.S. senator. She watched her father go on to become vice
president under President Barack Obama, and later, the Democratic nominee for president.
Biden was truly inspired by her father. She told the magazine Delaware Today in 2018 that
her father taught her the lesson that silence is complicity, and that she should feel a duty
to stand up and support anyone she encountered who was being treated unfairly. Growing up, she said,
"I was always a mediator, and couldn't stand someone getting
made fun of or being bullied as a young girl."
It's a principle that she says has stuck with her into adulthood,
informing how she approaches her professional life. She also noted, speaking of her father,
"The thing that always stuck out to me was how Dad treated all people,
no matter of their circumstances, the same. He would treat the CEO of DuPont
the same way he would treat a custodial worker at a hotel."
Ashley Biden went on to become a social worker and the executive director of the Delaware
Center for Justice which, per its website, "is the leading non-profit organization in
Delaware committed to transforming the quality of justice through advocacy, policy, and practice."
Biden left the organization in 2019,
but that doesn't mean she hasn't kept busy with other work that's important to her.
After the tragic death of her brother, Beau Biden, Ashley Biden started a fashion line called
Livelihood. As she told Delaware Today, Livelihood was launched not only as a way to give back to
the community but as a, quote, "way to distract" herself as she grieved the loss of her brother.
"He's still very much alive in our hearts. And we can still hear his strong voice."
In an interview with The Washington Post in June 2019, she explained how the tragic death
of a family member turned into a galvanizing event for her own personal and professional ambitions.
In her words,
"We have to sometimes be pulled all the way down to shoot forward. He was my bow.
His cancer brought me to my knees. I had no choice but to shoot forward,
keep going, keep aiming at my own dreams."
She re-launched the brand after leaving her position at the Delaware non-profit,
and explained her decision to pivot her attention on the Livelihood website. She wrote,
"I have dedicated my time and energy to overseeing criminal justice programming and
policy reform at the Delaware Center for Justice. My focus today is on the pursuit of my dream
for community impact through innovative philanthropy, community reinvestment,
and community empowerment via fashion."
The brand is described on its website as "a socially and ethically conscious,
weekend-wear apparel company that is inspired by and gives back to extraordinary, everyday people."
Outside of her professional ambitions, Ashley Biden reportedly remains a devoted member
of her unique and high-profile political family. The Biden family is a close one,
and Biden grew up especially close to her two brothers, Beau and Hunter Biden.
Ashley's mother, Jill Biden, told Delaware Today that her
bond with her siblings in particular has always been evident. As she put it,
"From the minute she was born her brothers looked after her. And,
she always looked up to them. Wherever they went, she wanted to go, and they took her."
Her father agreed, telling the magazine, quote, "There's no one you're closer to
than your siblings. In Ashley's case, this was especially true."
And Ashley's bond with her mother is reportedly no less strong,
with the Biden matriarch impressing upon her daughter the importance of trusting herself.
Ashley shared in her Delaware Today interview,
"I have always considered myself to possess a sixth sense,
and my mother always told me to tap into my gut, my intuition."
It's no surprise, then, that Biden's family loyalty and admiration of her father would
lead to her endorsing him for president. She said at a Wisconsin Women for Biden event in August,
"When I say I'm ready for a Biden presidency,
it's not just because I think my dad is the best person. With my dad as president,
he will help us solve some of the great challenges of our generation."
"He'll beam with pride every time you succeed."
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