WEST COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton worked Wednesday to shore up support among black women voters, vowing to fight “systemic racism” in America.
“There is something wrong when the median wealth of black families is a tiny fraction o the median wealth of white families,” Mrs. Clinton said at a luncheon hosted by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first black sorority that has become a potent political force.
The black vote will be key in South Carolina’s primary Saturday, and Mrs. Clinton has a commanding advantage with black voters over rival Sen. Bernard Sanders.
She leads Mr. Sanders by more than 20 percentage points in most South Carolina polls. A decisive win in the Palmetto State will give Mrs. Clinton added momentum heading into the delegate-rich Super Tuesday primaries and likely put her on a fast track to the nomination.
In her speech, Mrs. Clinton highlighted the suffering in black communities with statistics showing black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth and black children are more likely to die before reaching one year old.
“Imagine if that was reversed. Imagine if a white baby was twice as likely to die before her first birthday than a black baby,” she said, adding that resources would “rush in” to address such a problem.
She vowed that if elected president she would rush help to black communities across the country, including justice reform, better educational opportunities and expanded access to health care.
“I want an election about real change that will make a differience in people’s lives,” said Mrs. Clinton.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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