September 21, 2016 | No Comments
Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, blasted Donald Trump’s Wednesday statements about the state of the black community and America’s inner cities.
“I don’t know what Mr. Trump is talking about to say that the situation for African-Americans is worse than it’s ever been,” the Georgia Democrat said when asked about Trump’s recent comments by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “Is he talking about worse than slavery? Worse than the system the of segregation and racial discrimination — when we couldn’t take a seat at the lunch counter and be served? Worse than being denied the right to register to vote, to participate in the democratic process and live in certain neighborhoods and communities?
Lewis was responding to comments Trump made during a campaign event Tuesday in North Carolina.
“We’re going to rebuild our inner cities because our African American communities are absolutely in the worst shape they’ve ever been in before. Ever, ever, ever,” he said.
It’s part of a broader case Trump has been making to black voters, arguing that their situation is dire due to Democratic policies and that they should vote for Republicans because their circumstances could not be worse.
A surrogate for the New York businessman’s campaign has also said that Trump was not suggesting that African-Americans are worse off now than under Jim Crow segregation.
“I don’t think he’s talking about the days of Jim Crow, even the days of the civil rights movement of the ’60s and obviously not slavery. But he’s saying the African-American community is at times being outpaced by other communities,” Joseph Borelli, a New York City council member, told CNN on Wednesday.