Former Vice President Joe Biden drew from his Catholic faith to offer words of empathy to George Floyd’s family and implored Americans to take on the fight of racial justice.
In a somber video played at Floyd’s funeral, Joe Biden linked Floyd’s death in police custody to the nation’s enduring struggle for civil rights.
Speaking to Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna “Too many black children like her have had to ask what happened to their fathers, he said.
“Why, in this nation, do black Americans wake up knowing they can lose their life just for living their life?” Biden asked.
Quoting Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice, Biden said now is the time for the country to “dissent from indifference” and refuse to turn away from evidence of racism. He said his Catholic upbringing taught him that faith requires working for justice.
Biden expressed sympathy for the Floyds, who are grieving the loss of their loved one under an international spotlight. Addressing Gianna, Biden reminded her of the times her father carried her on his shoulders and played whatever she wanted because he cared only about making her happy.
“Now is the time for racial justice,” Biden said. “That’s the answer we must give to our children when they ask, ‘Why?’ Because when there’s justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America. And then, as you said, Gianna, your daddy will have changed the world.”
