Biden gives MLK Day speech at King’s old church

President Joe Biden on Sunday became the first sitting president to deliver a Sunday morning sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. served as pastor. Biden’s speech encouraged Americans to “go forward” and “choose democracy over autocracy.” Recently re-elected Senator Raphael Warnock is the current pastor at Ebenezer and introduced Biden’s speech. Biden delivered another speech commemorating King on Monday in Washington, D.C.

Does Biden’s speech matter at all? As Biden looks forward to a 2024 presidential campaign, winning over minority communities in swing states like Georgia is going to be critical for him. In 2020, he managed to win Georgia as well as closely-contested races in Michigan and Pennsylvania, where black votes made up a disproportionate share of Democratic votes. His speech comes as he is under investigation for possibly mishandling classified documents.

Dig deeper: Read Eric Patterson’s column in WORLD Opinions celebrating the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”