(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . President Biden was for civil rights when civil rights wasn't cool: Boosting Biden Day 104 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-05-31 In the summer of 1962, when he was 19, Biden took a job as a lifeguard at a public pool near a housing project. He was the only white lifeguard among a dozen inner-city African Americans who were all students at HBCUs. “Biden was for civil rights when civil rights wasn’t cool” — state representative Fletcher Smith, a member of South Carolina’s Legislative Black Caucus. One of the reasons Biden wanted to work at that pool was because he wanted exposure to people who were different from him. As a new adult, he wanted to take things in his own hands and open up his world and his life to people that he didn’t know as a kid. That is Biden — he always wants to learn and grow. Biden became friends with the other life-guards and, as he hoped, he learned from them. For example, Biden learned that, when they traveled in the South, they took gas cans with them because they couldn’t stop at most gas stations. The summer was a changing point for Biden. “It was a real awakening for me,” he later said. “Every day, it seemed to me, black people got subtle and not-so-subtle reminders that they didn’t quite belong in America. It was a dozen small cuts a day.” What he learned that summer led Biden to participate in marches to desegregate movie theaters in Wilmington. After law school, he became a public defender whose clients were nearly all African Americans from Wilmington’s East Side. When he arrived in the Senate in 1973, he met Mississippi’s Senator John Stennis — a staunch segregationist. It was a friendly meeting. But when Stennis asked him why he joined the Senate, Biden said “Civil rights, sir.” Biden was always willing to reach out and listen to anyone who was willing to talk to him. But he has also always been firm about who he is and what he stands for. Throughout his career, Biden supported black judges, rejected judges who were not progressive enough, and defended civil rights legislation. We have seen that same behavior in his years as President. Is there still more work to be done? 100%! Lots more work. But Biden did more than many people guessed could be done. He deserves a lot of credit. AND he deserves to be re-elected. What can you do to help? Your donation will come bundled with others from our Good News community and will show Biden that there are many of us who support him and combine hard work with optimism in our battles for a better America! Want to do something else? Rec and comment on these posts to keep them alive at DKos and share them with others who might not realize how great a president Joe Biden has been. Looking for something else? Here are some other ideas: This is an entry in my ongoing series Boosting Biden. Check the comments for more information on how to find other entries and subscribe. These posts are written by Goodnewsroundup (Goodie), edited by Matilda Briggs, and supported by 2thanks and WolverineForTJatAW as well as several other notable Kossacks! As with all good things, it takes a village. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/31/2230634/-President-Biden-was-for-civil-rights-when-civil-rights-wasn-t-cool-Boosting-Biden-Day-104?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=community_groups_Good+News&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/