Hillary Clinton: White Americans 'Need to Recognize Our Privilege'

By Rachel Vorona Cote  |  February 23, 2016 | 2:00am
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On February 22, TheGrio.com hosted an afternoon Facebook chat with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, during which time she responded to questions centered on racial justice. She also made specific reference to white privilege and the necessity of bucking against it.

MTV News Senior National Correspondent Jamil Smith remarked on Clinton’s speech in Harlem last week where she “made a special note to call upon white Americans to be more humble and attentive to black concerns.” In light of her comments, Smith asked, “How will you be continuing to engage white voters, specifically, on issues involving racial justice?”

Her response was a lengthy one:

Clinton writes, “White Americans need to do a better job of listening when African Americans talk about the seen and unseen barriers that you face every day. We need to recognize our privilege and practice humility, rather than assume that our experiences are everyone’s experiences.”

Smith observes on his Twitter page that the candidate, while promising to advance this effort, does not articulate the “concrete plans” for which he asks. But as the TheGrio.com notes, Clinton “has enjoyed strong support from black voters,” and “the 2016 election season has been no different.” Her recent victory in the Nevada primary seems, the Washington Post reports, to signal overwhelming support from black Democrats — she captured 76 percent of their votes.

Still, 47 more states remain in the primary race, sprawled before us in what already seems like the longest election season in the history of the cosmos.

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Top Image via Getty. Embedded Image via Twitter.

 
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