Black and Hispanic Journalists Interview Former Vice President Joe Biden During Annual Convention
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Eager to address issues confronting the African American and Hispanic American communities in the United States, former Vice President Joe Biden addressed attendees of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) joint virtual convention in a pre-recorded remote interview session.
“We are pleased that former Vice President Joe Biden agreed to meet with our members and address our convention,” said NABJ President Dorothy Tucker and NAHJ President Hugo Balta in a joint statement. “Choosing to participate in our Newsmaker Plenary gives candidates a critical opportunity to discuss their platform with Black and Brown communities.”
Issues discussed during the nearly one-hour interview include criminal justice reform, the El Paso Massacre, the Black Lives Matter movement, immigration, COVID-19 recovery, health care disparities, the economy, voter suppression, plans for the Latinx and Black communities, and more.
Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee for president, was questioned by a panel of four journalists, two from each organization. Representing NABJ is Errol Barnett, National Correspondent for CBS News, and Tia Mitchell, Washington Correspondent for The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Representing NAHJ is Alfredo Corchado, Border Correspondent for The Dallas Morning News, and Lulu Garcia-Navarro, co-host of NPR Weekend Edition.
The interview, conducted on August 4, 2020, premiered during the Newsmaker Plenary on Thursday. The general public may access the interview here, powered by Verizon Media’s Yahoo News, the media partner of the NABJ-NAHJ Newsmaker Plenary.
President Donald Trump was also invited to participate in the Newsmaker Plenary. However, the White House has yet to accept or decline that invitation.
“I’m so forward-looking to have an opportunity to sit with the President or stand with the President and the debates,” said Biden during the interview.
“While we are disappointed that President Donald Trump has not acknowledged our invitation to participate, we hope he will come to understand the importance of addressing and engaging with the voices and documentarians of the communities that represent the future of America,” said organization presidents Tucker and Balta.