East Room
7:16 P.M. EST
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Good evening. Hello, hello. Good evening, everyone.
My name is Joe Biden. I am Jill Biden's husband. And welcome. All of you, welcome to the White House.
And, you know, we saw — as you saw coming in, we've decorated the holidays around a theme, which every year the President picks a theme or the First Lady picks a theme for the holidays. And the theme this year was "We the People."
These are the first words of our Constitution and the very idea of America. And they're the leading words of many of your constitutions, for: We the people of Kenya. We the people of Namibia. We the people of Liberia. We the people of the
Federal Republic of Niger. And so many others.
"We the People" reminds us that our countries' greatest strength lies in just that: our people. Our people lie at the heart of the deep and profound connection that forever binds Africa and the United States together.
We remember the stolen men and women and children who were brought to our shores in chains, subjected to unimaginable cruelty.
My nation's original sin was that period.
We honor their descendants, who our generations have — for generations have helped build this country and propel it to higher heights, leading the charge, blazing new trails, and forging a better future for everyone in America.
We celebrate an African diaspora community in the United States, millions strong, pulling America [Africa] and the United States together in the tight embrace of family.
I might add that includes my former boss, a man I was honored to serve with, Barack Obama — beside him for eight years — who convened the first U.S.-African Leaders Summit back when he was President.
As leaders, our people inspire us. They awaken us — they awaken in us the possibilities that are within our grasp. And there are so many possibilities if we work together.
They tell us hard truths that we need to hear. And sometimes, we have trouble listening.
They challenge us to live up to the values enshrined in so many of our founding documents and to be worthy of the responsibility given to us by that sacred trust, "We the People."
In my years of being engaged in politics and in international relations, I have never been more optimistic — and I mean it sincerely — I have never been more optimistic about our shared future, because our people — because particularly of our young people in all our countries.
Together, we can deliver a world that is healthier and safer, more equal, more just, more prosperous, and more filled with opportunity for everyone.
