In a statement, Biden said that he had the privilege of getting to know Hastings when Biden served the Senate and later as Vice President, and admired his humor and ability to speak the truth without reservation.
“I greatly admired him for his singular sense of humor, and for always speaking the truth bluntly and without reservation,” Biden said.
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The president further hailed Hastings as a “trailblazing lawyer who grew up in the Jim Crow South,” and said he was “passionate about helping our nation live up to its full promise for all Americans.”
“It was a passion he forged as a pioneering civil rights lawyer in the 1960s, fighting tirelessly to desegregate hotels, restaurants, and public spaces in south Florida a trailblazing spirit to advocate for what is right that guided him throughout his life.”