The Bottom Line

Rev William Barber: Americans didn’t vote to ‘return to normal’

Leading voice for social justice says Biden must reject ‘centrist’ compromises between progressives and conservatives.

“There are some people who are the adversaries of poor and low-wealth people and Black people moving forward in this country,” says American minister and political activist Reverend William Barber II in this episode of The Bottom Line.

In his victory speech last month, President-elect Joe Biden said, “This is the time to heal in America.”

If Biden is serious about healing, Barber said his incoming administration should double the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25 per hour), expand healthcare, reform the police and deal with systemic racism in the United States.

But in such a divided country, is it possible to adopt a progressive agenda?