Joe Biden after taking charge as the president of America has proved to be honest to the promises he made to his people. In his victory speech he had said, “I sought this office to restore the soul of America and to make America respected around the world again and unite us here at home”. Various policy decisions Biden has taken after assuming the office of the president clearly demonstrate that he is serious and honest about his statement. The latest among them is making Juneteenth (June 19th) a national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and affirming that EQUALITY is the foundational principle of democracy and key to human rights.   

Joe Biden reversed many divisive and exclusive policies of his predecessor Donald Trump. Under the leadership of Joe Biden, US rejoined the World Health Organization (WHO), re-entered Paris Climate Accord, passed orders to include non-citizens in the American census, reversed the entry ban on passport holders from seven Muslim countries and stopped money being spent on building a wall along the Mexican border. 

In view of providing the much needed healing to people, America has fully vaccinated 45.1% of its population by the third week of June 2021. In order to revive the economy and provide relief to people, Biden has prepared a grand plan under the slogan, “Build, Back Better” under which over $7 trillion will be spent by the government on infrastructure development which include the creation of 10 million clean energy jobs, and housing, education, economic fairness and health care. The plan envisages increased taxes on the super rich and large multinational corporations. Taxing the rich in proportion to their income and using the money for economic revival and welfare programmes is a means for ushering in economic equality.  

On 17th June, President Joe Biden signed a bill establishing Juneteenth, the date commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, as a federal holiday. It was a symbolic assertion of his commitment to equality. After signing the bill Biden described it as “one of the greatest honours” of his presidency. Juneteenth National Independence Day has become the 12th legal public holiday in the United States, and the first new one created since Martin Luther King Jr. Day that was signed into law in 1983. The president signed the bill in the presence of a gathering consisting of members of the Congregational Black Caucus, local elected officials, community leaders and activists. 

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Galveston, Texas, in accordance with President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. 

In tune with the promise Biden had made to unite America, he saw to the passing of the holiday legislation with overwhelming support in both chambers of Congress. The Senate approved the bill unanimously and the House passed it in a 415-14 vote. Only 14 Republicans voted against the bill. The approach adopted in passing the bill was bipartisan.  During the signing function at the White House, Biden lauded members of Congress for the bipartisan effort, saying “I hope this is the beginning of a change in the way we deal with one another”. 

For Biden, EQUALITY is the core value of democracy and the soul of America. Through the American Declaration of Independence issued on July 4, 1776, the Americans had said, “We hold these truths to be self- evident that all men are created equal”. That is why the President said it was not enough to commemorate the holiday, but to use it as a day for reflection and action. “We can’t rest until the promise of equality is fulfilled for every one of us in every corner of this nation. That to me is the meaning of Juneteenth”, said Biden.

The president also said that the promise of equality is not going to be fulfilled until it becomes a reality in the schools, main streets and neighbourhoods.   

Another step in the direction of promoting equality was signing on January 20, 2021 an Executive Order by the president on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the Federal Government. The document says, “The Federal Government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programmes and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of colour and other deserved groups.” 

In his inaugural address also, Joe Biden emphasized the need for constantly striving for the realization of the ideal of equality. “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal, that we are all created equal, and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, and fear have torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never secure”, said Biden. 

The ideals of French Revolution- Liberty, Equality and Fraternity- became the foundational values of many democracies in the world. The core values of Indian Constitution as reflected in its preamble are Secularism or Pluralism, Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

The policies of the Central government in the initial years after independence were focused on promoting these values in the process of building up a new India. Gradually these values got eroded because of the influence of various factors. One of these factors is the phenomenal growth of Hindutva ideology based on ethnic nationalism promoted by the RSS- BJP combine. 

Hindutva ideology is divisive and based on hatred towards minorities, especially Muslims and Christians. It advocates a society on the pattern of Manusmriti that envisages a hierarchical and patriarchal structure in which equality has no place. As a result, the progress towards equality India achieved since independence has been reversed since 2014. Hatred towards Muslims that often results in mob lynching, spurt in crimes on dalits and women, and widening the gap between the rich and the poor are some of the explicit signs of  growing inequalities in the Indian society. In spite of the repeated requests and recommendations by financial experts and economists the Central government is reluctant to adopt cash transfers to the poorest sections in India to tide over the economic crisis caused by Covid 19. 

Equality and Fraternity are two sides of the same coin, and in the absence of one the other cannot exist. Only when the members of a community or nation have a feeling that they are related to each other and respect each other, will all people experience equality with equal rights, opportunities and treatment. In the same way only if people believe that all human beings are created equal, they will be feeling a bond or brotherhood/sisterhood among them.   

The followers of Jesus can be proud of Joe Biden because he is putting into practice a core value of Jesus. Fraternity and Equality are central to Jesus’ teaching. Jesus’ vision of humanity is reflected in his teachings about the Kingdom of God or Reign of God. Reign of God is a situation in which God is accepted as the loving Father/Mother and all human beings as brothers and sisters with equal rights, duties, opportunities and dignity. This vision of Jesus is put in a capsule form in the beautiful prayer Jesus taught his disciples and the followers of Jesus repeat several times a day- OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN….  

By saying the prayer ‘Our Father’ the followers of Jesus are making a commitment to themselves to strive for the realization of the vision of Jesus i.e. the Reign of God, building a society in which people experience equality and fraternity. This prayer does not make any sense without a firm commitment and strenuous efforts to build communities with equality and fraternity. Any follower of Jesus who genuinely recites the prayer, ‘Our Father’, cannot but be disturbed by the widening inequality and factors that contribute to disharmony in society like hate speech and fake news based on prejudices. This disturbance has to lead to a firm resolution to work for social harmony and equality. In the person of President Joe Biden the world has a tall Christian leader who inspires and encourages not only Christians but also people of all faiths to strive for a world based on equality and fraternity. 

The history of the world teaches people of all countries many lessons and one among them is that leaders, particularly political leaders, play a crucial role in deciding the destiny of nations. Ambitious, egoistic, self centred and aggressive leaders like Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin of Uganda, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya etc. led their countries to wars and they often resorted to mass killing of their own people. The world today is urgently in need of leaders with vision and compassion, who are committed to the ideals of democracy. Such leaders will strive for building societies with equality and fraternity.  The policy decisions of Joe Biden so far indicate that he is a leader with vision and compassion who is committed to preserve and promote the core values of democracy: Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.