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Biden quotes Doc Rivers on 'America not returning Black people's love', Internet says it made them cry

In an emotional speech, Biden addressed the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a White police officer on August 23 in Kenosha and quoted coach Rivers

Former vice president and presidential nominee Joe Biden, during his speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday (October 6), spoke in detail about the "cost of division", while referring to the racial division the nation has witnessed under the presidency of Donald Trump. Biden used the opportunity to address the shooting of Black man Jacob Blake by a White police officer on August 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

Blake was left paralyzed from below the waist from the shooting. Following the tragic incident, Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers, who was at the time coaching the LA Clippers in the NBA bubble, had spoken emotionally about the prevailing racial discrimination in the country.

On October 6, during his speech, Biden quoted Rivers as he recalled the professional basketball coach’s words. The former VP said, "Doc Rivers, the basketball coach, choking back tears when he said, 'We're the ones getting killed. We're the ones getting shot. We've been hung. It's amazing how we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back.'” He further added, “I think about that. I think about what it takes for a Black person to love America. That is a deep love for this country that has for far too long never been recognized."

Offering a unifying message, Biden also noted: "The country is in a dangerous place. Our trust in each other is ebbing. Hope seems elusive." Even though he rarely mentioned Trump, Biden took a subtle dig at POTUS and said, "Too many Americans seek not to overcome our divisions, but to deepen them. We must seek not to build walls, but bridges. We must seek not to have our fists clinched but our arms open. We have to seek not to tear each other apart. We have to seek to come together."

Much impressed with Biden's speech and his quotation of Rivers, Internet users soon took to Twitter and praised him for standing by the Black community. One Twitter user wrote, "When he quoted Doc Rivers, I lost it. No white politician has acknowledged and stood by the Black community like Uncle Joe." Sharing a clip of the former VP's speech with Rivers quote, veteran journalist Jay Scott Smith wrote, "Here’s the clip of @JoeBiden quoting @DocRivers during his speech in Gettysburg today. It was, in all honesty, pretty powerful." 

One noted, "I heard @DocRivers say those words and they broke my heart. @JoeBiden repeated those words today, and I know he heard them too, in his heart. That's the type of leadership we so desperately need now." One tweeted, "The speech was a pitch perfect mix of @JoeBiden sincere and inspiring words, historical quotes and reflections and contemporary commentary of Doc Rivers." Another posted, "When @DocRivers shared those tear-filled and heart-felt words, something broke inside me. It was so powerful, so hard to watch, and so important. Today, hearing @JoeBiden acknowledge that pain and hear that grief was one of the most powerful things I've ever witnessed." "This part made me cry. I cried when I saw Doc Rivers. I am so glad @JoeBiden said this. That we all have a responsibility to make sure African Americans & people of color are treated as equal & everything that goes with it. It’s white people that need to fix this," added a user.