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Newt Gingrich: Whites 'don't understand being black in America'
Most white Americans "don't understand being black in America" and the discrimination African Americans face, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said Friday.
Gingrich, who is among a group of individuals presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is vetting as a possible running mate, made his remark during a Facebook town hall with Van Jones, a former aide in the Obama administration.
The event had been scheduled to focus on opioid use, but with the nation reacting to two highly publicized shootings of black men by police this week, followed by the killing of at least five Dallas police officers in a gun attack Thursday night, the two shifted to talk about race and ways to bring the nation together.
"It took me a long time, and a number of people talking to me through the years to get a sense of this," said Gingrich, who served as speaker from 1990 until 1995 and who represented an Atlanta-area congressional district for two decades.
"If you are a normal white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America," he said.
White Americans "instinctively underestimate the level of discrimination and the level of additional risk," he said.
Gingrich's remarks followed a statement released by Trump on Friday in which he said the nation has become "too divided." Outside of the statement, Trump has not spoken about the shootings. He canceled a campaign rally that had been scheduled for Florida.
Gingrich, known for being blunt -- he initially spoke out against Trump following the candidate's controversial remarks about a Latino judge -- also talked about life in the South and specifically in Georgia, where he moved when he was in high school.
“It was still legally segregated, which meant the local sheriff and National Guard would impose, by force, the taking away of rights of Americans," he said. "We’ve come a fair distance, now we have a black mayor of Atlanta and have had a series of them, in fact. ... But we’ve stalled out on the cultural, economic, practical progress we needed.”
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http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trailguide-updates-1468001199-htmlstory.html
Most white Americans "don't understand being black in America" and the discrimination African Americans face, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, said Friday.
Gingrich, who is among a group of individuals presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is vetting as a possible running mate, made his remark during a Facebook town hall with Van Jones, a former aide in the Obama administration.
The event had been scheduled to focus on opioid use, but with the nation reacting to two highly publicized shootings of black men by police this week, followed by the killing of at least five Dallas police officers in a gun attack Thursday night, the two shifted to talk about race and ways to bring the nation together.
"It took me a long time, and a number of people talking to me through the years to get a sense of this," said Gingrich, who served as speaker from 1990 until 1995 and who represented an Atlanta-area congressional district for two decades.
"If you are a normal white American, the truth is you don’t understand being black in America," he said.
White Americans "instinctively underestimate the level of discrimination and the level of additional risk," he said.
Gingrich's remarks followed a statement released by Trump on Friday in which he said the nation has become "too divided." Outside of the statement, Trump has not spoken about the shootings. He canceled a campaign rally that had been scheduled for Florida.
Gingrich, known for being blunt -- he initially spoke out against Trump following the candidate's controversial remarks about a Latino judge -- also talked about life in the South and specifically in Georgia, where he moved when he was in high school.
“It was still legally segregated, which meant the local sheriff and National Guard would impose, by force, the taking away of rights of Americans," he said. "We’ve come a fair distance, now we have a black mayor of Atlanta and have had a series of them, in fact. ... But we’ve stalled out on the cultural, economic, practical progress we needed.”
...
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trailguide-updates-1468001199-htmlstory.html
