Black Americans have contributed more to President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign than any other president in US history. More black Americans organized, marched, registered, and voted for Biden than in any other presidential election.
However, a few have been directly involved in Biden’s winning campaign, and they all have one thing in common: They are all graduates of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Below is a profile of four HBCU graduates who directly resulted in Biden being elected President-elect and Kamala Harris elected Vice-President.
Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond
Cedric Richmond’s résumé was padded well before being associated with the Biden campaign. Born in New Orleans, he is the only Louisiana Democrat and the only black American in the state to serve in either Chamber of Congress.
The Morehouse College graduate currently serves as the national co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign and was involved in all major campaign decisions, including the selection of Senator Kamala Harris as Biden’s vice-president.
Richmond told BLACK ENTERPRISE that the title vice president falls into the long list of HBCU achievements. “That’s great.”
“I’m glad people are finally realizing that the Ivy Leagues are not the end, be all,” said Richmond. “There is a lot of good talent in other places and it’s a very strong proposition for the hundreds of thousands of people who have studied at HBCUs and are doing wonderful things in this country.”
Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta Mayor ![Keisha Lance Bottoms]()
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was an early supporter of Biden’s campaign. Florida A&M University’s alum served as a super replacement for the former Vice President, who left her support months before the election and ran against billionaires like Mike Bloomberg.
Bottoms, a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, was significant to the black voters who supported Biden in Atlanta. The mayor was paramount in making sure the polling stations were safe and residents had all the information they needed about where and when to vote.
When asked how her HBCU experience prepared her to become mayor of a major city, Bottoms said that when you visit an HBCU you are taught certain values and those values ensure that you succeed in whatever you do.
“There’s an awareness, trust, and compassion that comes to you when you attend an HBCU,” said Lance Bottoms. “I never asked if I could compete at the highest level or not because I was surrounded and supported by the best and brightest hard-working students, faculties and staff.”
Bottoms added that the observation that Harris, a graduate of HBCU, is the first black woman to be named vice president has a significant impact on the number of applicants for HBCU college who may not have thought of it to attend an HBCU.
Voting attorney Stacey Abrams ![Stacey Abrams]()
Abrams is possibly the single most important person who helps Biden become president-elect without actually being part of his campaign. In 2018, Abrams lost the Georgia gubernatorial elections in 2018 to Brian Kemp, who was accused of voter suppression. In 2020, Abrams made sure it didn’t happen again.
The Spelman College graduate founded Fair Fight Action, an organization dedicated to combating voter suppression. Abrams’ organization and efforts directly resulted in hundreds of thousands of black residents of the state having to register and vote. As a result, Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton to win the state in 1992.
Abram’s struggle to register black Americans is one she picked up on from her parents.
“It was actually my family who campaigned for social justice and the civil rights movement. My father was arrested when he was 14 while putting black people to vote during Jim Crow,” said Abrams, a tax attorney who served in the House of Representatives for a decade Georgia was operating.
Abrams had a message for HBCU students who may have been struggling with the coronavirus pandemic and therefore not having the typical college experience.
“College is an opportunity not only to learn for the future, but to find who you are, and do so in direct fellowship,” Abrams said. “It cannot be negated by distance, and so I encourage students to stay connected, use social media and distance learning to challenge one another, but always remember that you are part of a community that is beyond this country and spanning decades spanning more than a century.
“Part of the nature of an HBCU experience is understanding how adversity leads to opportunity and I would hold on to it, hold on to it and find a way to make this part of your future,” added Abrams.
Jim Clyburn, South Carolina Congressman ![]()
Congressman Jim Clyburn’s approval of Biden came at a crucial time in the former Vice President’s campaign. Biden had underperformed in the Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada primary, and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren led the pack.
But South Carolina State University’s endorsement of Biden changed everything. Biden won the state primary, received 49% of the vote, and never looked back when lead Democratic candidates began dropping out and backing him. It was also Clyburn who suggested that Biden choose a black run mate and who served as a mentor to Cedric Richmond.
Clyburn, who currently serves as the majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, said he could only smile when he found out that Biden and Harris were named the proposed election winners, and he’s glad the HBCUs are getting the recognition they deserve.
“I’m just glad people are focusing on it, but it’s interesting when I hear people talking about the Tuskegee fliers and [how] instrumental in winning the war. Well, Tuskegee is an HBCU so that’s not uncommon. It’s just that people never got the right loan. It feels good now when people focus on giving credit where it is due. “
Clyburn has been an integral part of the South Carolina government since 1993 and represents the 6th district of the state. He is the third largest Democrat in the House of Representatives behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
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