Hillary News & Views 2.17: Harlem Speech, Supreme Court, the "Obama Effect"

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/17/1486474/-Hillary-News-Views-2-17-Harlem-Speech-Supreme-Court

By Lysis

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Today’s Hillary News & Views begins with coverage of Clinton’s speech in Harlem yesterday, along with some coverage of her meeting with Civil Rights leaders that same day.

Vox reports:

Clinton's speech touched on many topics about race. She discussed mass incarceration. She unveiled her plan to undo the school-to-prison pipeline. She called on the country to help her end segregation in schools.

But there was a particularly powerful moment in which Clinton called on all Americans, white included, and particularly Democrats to help eliminate systemic racism. She said:

“We Democrats have a special obligation. If we're serious about our commitment to the poor, to those who need some help, including African Americans, if we continue to ask black people to vote for us, we cannot minimize the realities of the lives they lead or take their concerns for granted.

“You know, you can't just show up at election time and say the right things and think that's enough. We can't start building relationships a few weeks before a vote. We have to demonstrate a sustained commitment to building opportunity, creating prosperity, and righting wrongs — not just every two or four years, not just when the cameras are on and people are watching, but every single day.

“So here's what I ask of you: Hold me accountable. Hold every candidate accountable. What we say matters, but what we do matters more. And you deserve leaders who will do whatever it takes to tear down all the barriers holding you back and then replace them with those ladders of opportunity that every American deserves to have.

“I'm also asking all Americans to join in that effort. As Cornell Brooks, the new head of the NAACP, said in our meeting this morning, none of this is a "they" problem; it's a "we" problem. And all of us have to admit that. And you know what? It is not an urban problem. It's an American problem.

“Ending systemic racism requires contributions from all of us, especially those of us who haven't experienced it ourselves.”

(More in link)