Presidential candidate Biden visiting a parish in Delaware during the anti-racism protests (archive photo)
Photo: JIM WATSON / AFPMore than a hundred well-known African Americans have called on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to choose a black politician as a runner-up.
"If you don't choose a black woman in 2020, you will lose the choice," wrote rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and radio host Charlamagne Tha God, among others. Human rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represents the family of George Floyd, who was killed by police violence, is also one of the supporters of the letter.
"We don't want to choose between the lesser of two evils, and we don't want to have a choice between the devil we know and the devil we don't know because we're fed up with choosing devils - period", it says in the letter.
The men show their solidarity with more than 700 African American women who called on Biden last week to campaign against President Donald Trump with a black woman at his side.
According to the AFP news agency, Biden could announce later this week who will be his candidate for the vice presidency. The former vice president had already promised in March to bet on a woman. At the end of July, however, he had already announced an imminent decision - so far without result.
However, the former deputy of the first black US president, Barack Obama, can’t take much time. The Democrats begin their nomination party conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday next week. Until then, the vice-candidate has to stand.
African American voices are essential to Biden
After the death of the African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation at the end of May and the subsequent anti-racism protests, the pressure on the 77-year-old to choose an African American increased.
Among the favorites are several black politicians: Senator Kamala Harris, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, MPs Karen Bass and Val Demings. The names of the white politicians Elizabeth Warren and Gretchen Whitmer as well as the Thai-born Senator Tammy Duckworth are mentioned again and again - among others. (Read more about Biden's possible partners here.)
Biden is held in high regard by African Americans, and in polls in this group of voters he is way ahead of Trump. However, it will be of decisive importance for Biden for the election on November 3rd that he can mobilize as many blacks as possible to vote.
With his election platform, too, Biden aims to attract votes from the often disadvantaged blacks. In the event of an election victory, for example, he wants to take action against economic inequality between ethnic groups.
Icon: The mirrorfek / AFP
