Hillary Clinton calls for more work on race relations in SC stop

Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton praised South Carolina’s response to the racially motivated killing of nine Charleston church parishioners during a Midlands campaign stop Thursday, stressing work remains to be done to improve race relations nationwide.

Noting the grace shown since the shooting, Clinton said at West Columbia’s Brookland Baptist Church, “That did not come from above. That came from people and communities, rising up and speaking out.”

In her third visit to South Carolina since announcing her 2016 presidential bid, Clinton draw enthusiastic applause when she congratulated state leaders for removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds.

But she turned the conversation to the need for better race relations, citing the abuse and deaths of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement officials nationwide, including a black woman who died in a Texas jail last week after a being arrested during a traffic stop.

“You know better than most that the work of healing our communities and taking on the challenge of systemic racism is far from finished,” she said at the influential African-American church. “Every day, you see schools and neighborhoods that remain segregated. ... We have to tackle these problems together. You have to rebuild the bonds of trust and respect between elected officials and those they serve, between our law enforcement and the communities they serve.”

Then former secretary of state and first lady also sat down with five mayors, including Steve Benjamin of Columbia and Stephen Wukela of Florence, to discuss economic policy.

Three of the mayors hailed from smaller towns — Lake City, Ridgeway and Awendaw. Clinton said she wants to help rural communities gain better access to clean water and affordable broadband internet access.

She also said she wants to get more young people and women in the workforce, repeating that she would push for equal pay for women.

Responding to a comment from Benjamin about his daughter wanting a woman president, Clinton said, “I am not asking you vote for me for president because I’m a woman. I want you to vote for me on the merits.”

Clinton took questions from the audience of 400, including from an Aiken teacher who wants more pre-kindergarten classes.

Clinton said she wants to provide more education and aid to children from birth to kindergarten when their brains are forming. She backs universal pre-kindergarten but wants to allow states to develop their own plans.

But race came up again. Clinton was asked about what she would do to help African Americans who feel besieged by police.

Clinton said the phrase “Black Lives Matter” needs to matter more. “This is not just a slogan. It should be a guiding principle.”

Clinton arrived in South Carolina amid questions about whether voters next year will put her in the White House if she wins the Democratic nomination.

Lydia Bailey, a Columbia professional counselor who attended Clinton’s speech, blamed negative media reports for a recent poll showing Clinton is losing against Republican frontrunners in battleground states.

Clinton has been in the spotlight since her husband was elected president in 1992, she noted.

Bailey said she supported then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 because she did not think Clinton understood employment and education issues as well as the future president.

“She’s ready now,” Bailey said.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Hillary Clinton calls for more work on race relations in SC stop."