Posted on October 3, 2016

Hillary Speaks Alongside Young Black Girl Who Spoke Out Against Racism and Admits Her Own Family Are More Privileged Because They’re White

Nikki Schwab and AP, Daily Mail, October 3, 2016

Hillary Clinton told a majority-black church in North Carolina that her own grandchildren will not experience the same fear of the police as black children because they are white.

Addressing the Little  Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, Clinton blasted the ‘implicit bias’ that policing can have on black communities.

Clinton appeared on stage with Zianna Oliphant, a nine-year-old girl who last week addressed Charlotte City Council about the violence in her community.

The Democratic candidate cited the death of 43-year-old Keith Scott, a black man who was shot by police in front of a Charlotte apartment complex on September 20. She also lamented the death of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher, who was shot days before during a Tulsa traffic stop. Both shootings led to community protests. The Tulsa police officer has pleaded not guilty to a manslaughter charge.

She said: ‘I’m a grandmother, and like every grandmother, I worry about the safety and security of my grandchildren, but my worries are not the same as black grandmothers, who have different and deeper fears about the world that their grandchildren face.’

Clinton continued: ‘I wouldn’t be able to stand it if my grandchildren had to be scared and worried the way too many children across our country feel right now. But because my grandchildren are white, because they are the grandchildren of a former president and secretary of state, let’s be honest here, they won’t face the kind of fear that we heard from the children testifying before the city council.’

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Clinton did not mention Republican Donald Trump by name but referenced her opponent’s calls for ‘law-and-order’ during the campaign.

‘There are some out there who see this as a moment to fan the flames of resentment and division. Who want to exploit people’s fears even though it means tearing our nation even further apart,’ Clinton said. ‘They say that all of our problems would be solved simply by more law and order. As if the systemic racism plaguing our country doesn’t exist.’

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Last week, nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant addressed Charlotte City Hall about the impact of gun violence on her community.

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She told the packed meeting: ‘It’s a shame that our fathers and brothers are killed and we can’t see them anymore. It’s a shame that we have to go through that graveyard and bury him. We need our fathers and brothers to be by our side.’

The girl, who said she was born and raised in Charlotte, said she can’t stand how black people are being treated in the city, ABC News reports.

‘We are black people and we shouldn’t have to feel like this. We shouldn’t have to protest because y’all are treating us wrong. We do this because we need to and have rights.’