BLM co-founder @aliciagarza: “None of us can afford for the party or for this campaign to mess this election up & comments like these are the kinds that frankly either make black voters feel like we’re not really valued & people don’t care if we show up." https://apnews.com/0f8813ff34ac85bb4ce928ffd2265c96

She also told me “black voters know that Trump is not for us” but Biden needs to still put in work. “Let's make sure that black voters are not only rewarded for our loyalty but the concerns & the needs & the dreams of our communities are featured prominently in this campaign.”

The reality is Biden's comments today won't deter many black voters from casting their ballots for him come Nov. Biden has a level of defined/solid support that will remain, @AdrianneShrop, executive director of BlackPAC, told me today.

But there is a nuance that matters here.

@breakfastclubam represents an entire group of new/potential blk voters, she said: “The first thing I thought about was to what degree did this just turn off those voters & how much more work the rest of us are going to have to do to convince people that it is worth their time."

In a call with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce, Biden said he would never “take the African American community for granted.”

“I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy,” Biden said. “No one should have to vote for any party based on their race or religion or background.”

@Blklivesmatter co-founder Alicia Garza also reiterated Biden needs to pick a blk woman VP & retool his black agenda: "I think black voters deserve to not just have to depend on someone's past actions, but also be witness to what is visionary about their current platform."

And now we have t-shirts. In the midst of all of this, it’s important for media to note & pay attention to the way Trump’s campaign/allies are jumping all over this while they’ve simultaneously ignored the racial rhetoric that has emerged repeatedly from the White House.