Two black leaders in Delaware came to former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE’s defense, writing an op-ed casting the White House hopeful as a champion for civil rights amid heightened scrutiny over his decades-long tenure representing the state in the Senate.

Richard “Mouse” Smith, the former president of the Delaware NAACP, and Sam Latham, the former president of the Delaware AFL-CIO and the first African American to hold the position, wrote in an op-ed in Blavity Tuesday that Biden has “been our champion” on civil rights and is a reliable ally in the fight against racism.

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“For decades Joe has been at the forefront of advancing and safeguarding equal rights and combating institutional racism,” Smith and Latham wrote. “Now, as he campaigns for the presidency, he’s continuing to champion progressive policies in health care, education, criminal justice, climate change, and more, that all speak directly to the needs of black and brown people.”

The op-ed comes as the Biden campaign continues to deal with the fallout of an exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHundreds of lawyers from nation's oldest African American sorority join effort to fight voter suppression Biden picks up endorsement from progressive climate group 350 Action 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (D-Calif.) at last month’s primary debate in which she confronted the former vice president over his comments praising his ability to work with segregationist senators and opposition to federally-mandated busing.

Smith and Latham slammed Biden’s critics, saying they offer “mischaracterizations” of his record that are “misguided” and “wrong.”

“From his civil rights record and work to integrate Delaware’s communities to his relationship with avowed segregationists and opposition to school busing, politicians, reporters, and pundits alike have all sought to capitalize on perceived missteps in these areas,” they wrote.

“They seek to undermine Joe’s campaign for president by incorrectly casting him as out of touch, culturally incompetent, and incapable of grasping the diversity and complexities of today. They also falsely distort the character and integrity of someone who has successfully dedicated his life’s work towards advancing civil rights and addressing systemic racism.”

The two leaders went on to tick off a list of Biden’s accomplishments in state government and the Senate, including fighting for public housing in Wilmington suburbs, supporting extensions of the Voting Rights Act, backing anti-lynching legislation and working in the Obama administration to address racial disparities in criminal sentencing.

“We Delawareans, and many African Americans around the country know who Joe is, and who he always has been. Joe has been our champion, rolling up his sleeves to take on the issues facing the Black community,” they wrote.

The Biden campaign has sought to highlight his commitment to racial justice, including with a new plan released Tuesday to reduce mass incarceration, ahead of next week’s debate, in which he will again face off against Harris.