President Joe Biden spoke during the Sunday worship service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, to mark what would have been his 94th birthday.
The president expounded on his popular speech “The Battle for the Soul of this Nation,” which he most recently gave in September and originally came from an August 2017 opinion piece he wrote in the Atlantic. Biden defines the nation’s soul as “the sacred proposition that all are created equal in the image of God” which is “rooted in scripture and enshrined in the declaration of independence.” Only in his Sunday rendition, he used the word “redeem” interchangeably with “battle.”
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“It’s essence of the gospel and the essence of the American promise that we see each other as neighbors and not enemies that progress and justice come. Its when we see each other as fellow human beings and children of God that we begin to walk the path of Dr King’s community,” Biden told the baptist audience. “For God’s sake this is the United States of America.”
Biden himself is Catholic and even mentioned the rosary he wears on his wrist during the speech. It is the same rosary his son Beau wore before he died, according to Biden.
Ebenezer Baptist Church was a seemingly packed house, with over 2,700 viewing the live-streamed speech via YouTube and over 600 watching on Facebook Live. Today, the church’s senior reverend is Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) who was present on stage while Biden spoke.
“Nothing is guaranteed in our democracy,” Biden said. “Every generation is required to keep it defend it protect it to be repairers of the breach.” The president was seemingly referring to his administration’s attempt at enacting voting rights legislation.
Throughout his speech, Biden fumbled with some words, having to repeat himself. At one point he could not correctly pronounce Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s name, despite the fact that he personally nominated the justice. As a result, the president spoke slowly to try and control his speech, which, during a lull in his remarks, prompted one person in the audience to encourage him with a shout: “Come on, Mr. President.” Biden smiled and laughed at the outburst which was met by applause in the audience.
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Biden said he was optimistic “like Dr. King was optimistic” about the nation’s future. He also explained that among his decor in the Oval Office, he displays busts of both King and Rosa Parks.
