C.L. Bryant

Opinion contributor

Many Democrats worry former vice president and 2020 presidential primary candidate Joe Biden is too moderate for today’s Democratic Party. They are correct. Not because Biden’s views have changed, but because the modern Democratic Party has become too radical to function.

The Washington Post uncovered a 1975 interview with then-Senator Biden that opposed slavery reparations and school busing. He told the reporter, “I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather, I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation. And I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.”

On school busing, a well-meaning but ineffective policy designed to narrow the achievement gap between white and black children, Biden said:

“The new integration plans being offered are really just quota systems to assure a certain number of blacks, Chicanos, or whatever in each school. That, to me, is the most racist concept you can come up with…. Who the hell do we think we are, that the only way a black man or woman can learn is if they rub shoulders with my white child?”

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Rather than establishing quota systems in the good schools, Biden wanted to focus on improving the weak schools. He wanted to help all communities achieve quality education and economic empowerment, rather than stay trapped in a cycle of poverty and dependency.

If Joe Biden made the same statement today, he would be a Republican. While modern Democrats preach a message of perpetual victimhood, President Trump’s policies have done more to advance the black community than reparations and quotas ever could.

Trump is doing a good job

About 1 million new job openings have been filled by black Americans since President Trump took office. In 2017, the black poverty rate reached its lowest level on record.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 included new Opportunity Zone Incentives to encourage businesses to invest and create jobs in struggling communities. Republican-led deregulation efforts have removed countless barriers to success for black entrepreneurs who want to start new businesses.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, black unemployment reached 5.9% in May 2018, the lowest percentage ever recorded. It currently stands at 6.7%. Asian unemployment is at 2.2% , and Hispanic unemployment is at 4.2%.

Ten years ago, black unemployment was almost 16% Hispanic unemployment was above 12%, and Asian unemployment was over 8%. If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is.

The First Step Act, passed by a Republican-controlled Congress and signed by President Trump, is a tremendous piece of justice reform that reduces crime and offers thousands of black men a chance at redemption and a return to their families.

Democrats want to open wounds

One of these men is Matthew Charles, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 1996 for selling crack cocaine. He found God and turned his life around in prison. He became a law clerk, taught GED classes, and mentored fellow inmates. Matthew was released this year to begin the next chapter of his life as a productive member of society, thanks to the First Step Act.

Thanks to the brave men and women of the civil rights struggle of the late 50s and early 60s, all minorities are blessed to share in the American freedoms we have today, whether it’s starting a business or becoming president of the United States.

Unfortunately, Democrats would rather reopen the wounds of yesterday than promote policies that strengthen the black community of tomorrow.

Reparations and quota systems have outlived their relevance. They would hold our communities down and promote a culture dependency that would have our abolitionist forefathers rolling in their graves.

Joe Biden was right. We should remember and honor the struggles of our predecessors, but we cannot allow those memories to keep us trapped in the past. It’s time to move forward.

Rev. C.L. Bryant is a Senior Fellow with FreedomWorks. Follow him on Twitter: @RevCLBryant