August 18, 2020
American rapper Cardi B has proven to be one of the handful who use their platforms to highlight political and social issues.
After recently endorsing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as presidential candidate in 2024, the rapper now sat down with Democratic presidential hopeful, Joe Biden to discuss college education, child care and racial justice.
She began the discourse by stressing on the urgency of free health care, higher education and police brutality.
"What I want is free Medicare. It's important to have free [health care] because look what is happening right now. Of course, I think we need free college. And I want Black people to stop getting killed and no justice for it. I'm tired of it. I'm sick of it. I just want laws that are fair to Black citizens and that are fair for cops, too. If you kill somebody who doesn’t have a weapon on them, you go to jail. You know what? If I kill somebody, I've got to go to jail. You gotta go to jail, too. That's what I want,” said Cardi.
Responding to that, the former vice president of the United States said: "There's no reason why we can't have all of that. Presidents have to take responsibility. I understand one of your favorite presidents is Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt said the American people can take anything if you tell them the truth.”
“Sometimes the truth is hard. But right now, we're in a position where we have an opportunity to make so much progress. The American public has had the blinders taken off,” added Biden.
He went further to lay emphasis on voting and why exercising your democratic right is vital for change: "Your generation can own what happens in the next election. They can change things dramatically if they show up and vote."
The music icon went on to speak about American youth and their present state of disillusionment, saying: "I feel like this country is so hurt, to the point that this year, a lot of people couldn't even celebrate July 4th, because not everybody feels like an American. A lot of people feel like [they're] not even part of America."
Biden responded saying: “Absolutely. One of the things that I admire about you is that you keep talking about what I call equity—decency, fairness, and treating people with respect. John Lewis, one of the great civil rights leaders, used to say the vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool you have.”
“Look, I’m a lot older than you, to state the obvious. ... We had the Voting Rights Act and we had the Civil Rights Act. It changed things because people said, 'Oh, my God, that's happening.' [Today], the cell phone has changed America,” he said further.
“Because we’re at a point where some brave kid can stand there for a total of 8 minutes and 46 seconds and take a [video] of a Black man [being] brutally murdered. And people around the world were saying, 'My God. This really happens?' And now they're demanding change,” he added.
Regarding free education for all, Biden said: "Also, by the way, if I get elected president, anybody with a family [that makes] less than 125 grand, you're going to get free education. And everybody gets free community college."