Black Democrat Recounts Racist Encounter On Capitol Hill

(LibertySociety.com) – Former South Carolina Governor and Republican presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley has made headlines in recent weeks for comments related to racism in the United States. On January 16 during an interview on Fox News, Haley said that the United States has “never been a racist country.” Haley was responding to comments made by MSNBC’s Joy Reid, who recently claimed that the Republican Party was too anti-immigration to elect a woman of color as president. Haley’s comment was met with instant backlash from the media and lawmakers.

California Democratic Representative Barbara Lee blasted Haley during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Lee has served in the House since 1998 and is currently running for a highly sought seat in the Senate. She claimed that the United States is systemically racist and that Haley does not understand racism. She then shifted to instances of personal racism and provided an example of an experience she once had while attempting to enter the members’ elevator in the Capitol Building. Lee said that a white man tried to prevent her from entering the elevator, to which she responded by showing him her congressional pin. She then claimed that the man asked her whose pin she had stolen, claiming that people of color experience personal racism daily.

Lee pointed out that Republicans were trying to get rid of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies that she believes address the problem. She continued, stating, “it’s a very dangerous position that she has, she’s clueless.” Haley later provided a statement to CNN in an attempt to clarify her remarks. She reiterated her claim that the United States was not racist, but that racism did exist in America. Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about Haley’s comments during an appearance on “The View.” She expressed disappointment that some people try and ignore or look past racism in the United States. She also said that systemic racism in the United States was in the past, but that Americans should work to prevent it from being a defining factor in the future.