Clinton Tells Democrats They Can't Take Black Voters For Granted

Hillary Clinton appealed to African-American voters in New York on Wednesday where she preached the importance and urgency of battling racial injustice at the National Action Convention. While she is no stranger to the organization, she took this time to plug her role as a consistent advocate and voice for the community in the days leading up to the New York primary.

"Race still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind,” the Democratic candidate said to guests at the 25th anniversary of the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network gathering.

“If we’re going to ask African-Americans to vote for us, we cannot take you or your vote for granted. Democrats can't just show up at election time and say the right things and think that’s enough. We can’t start building relationships a few weeks before a vote," Clinton proclaimed, taking a jab at her opponent, Bernie Sanders.

Nigel Sylvester, one of the younger delegate members of Rev. Sharpton’s NAN, told GVH Live in an interview, “As First Lady, she chaired an international coalition in the fight for women’s rights and access to health and education, as well as passed coverage for children’s health across the US. As a senator for the state of New York, she secured funds to both rebuild Ground Zero and treat first responders as well as launched Farm-to-Fork. As Secretary of State, she greatly built upon and reconstituted the global ties forged during The Clinton Administration, eventually strengthening progressive coalitions under The Obama Administration. Most black voters believe that she has shown to do what she said she would.”

“She voices an understanding that intolerance and ignorance towards communities of color creates the climate for systemic racism that directly affects education, employment, policing and subsequent criminal injustices. Furthermore, she has made herself available to being held accountable by a community which will do just that,” Sylvester added.

Clinton told the black audience in Midtown Manhattan, “White Americans need to do a much better job of listening to black Americans talk about the seen and unseen challenges they face everyday.”

She reiterated her promise to creating equal opportunity and righting wrongs that have disproportionately affected the black community by truly committing to the cause, “not just every two or four years, not just when the cameras are on and people are watching—but every single day.”

Whilst giving a rundown of the policies she plans to implement to help heal and rebuild black communities, she highlighted the heightened risk of asthma faced by African Americans. She also announced an initiative that “would eliminate lead as a major public threat within five years,” also what Sharpton has called “an act of environmental terrorism” on the city of Flint, Michigan.

“What happened in Flint would have never happened in a wealthy, white suburb of Detroit,” Clinton declared.

Sanders, who has struggled with translating his popularity with the young black community into the actual votes, spoke to the the same convention Thursday.

Clinton herself has come under fire for her husband’s ’94 Crime Bill (and last week’s comments to Black Lives Matter protestors) but most recently, aracially charged joke in a skit she performed with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio last weekend. They referenced "C.P. time,” a term that usually mean "colored people's time,” but in this case, meant “cautious politican” time.

Although Sylvester believed that he “can have a laugh” at the poorly written sketch, he agreed the timing was still inappropriate given the aforementioned backlash. Sylvester went onto to say, however, “We see similar and far more uncomfortable stereotypical plays enacted on SNL and other satirical programs with current/former politicians to which there isn’t much uproar, if any. It seems to play into the notion that there is one standard for Hillary Clinton and another (or none) for other.”

Although her opening remarks started off with a courteous applause from the crowd, she slowly but surely wooed the crowd as she spoke with conviction about black men being murdered by police and black children being poisoned by lead. She even mentioned “white privilege” and urged white Americans to “practice humility, rather than assume that our experiences are everyone else’s experiences.”

Clinton also tugged at many heartstrings when she shouted out the mothers of black victims of police brutality with whom she has been previously joined by on the campaign trail – including Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner; Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin; Valerie Bell, the mother of Sean Bell, a man shot and killed by police on the morning of his wedding day; and Nicole Bell, his fiancée.

"All these women and the others who are here, the family members of those who have been lost not only by police actions, but by gun violence of any kind, anywhere. The man who killed Trayvon Martin should have never had a gun in the first place," Clinton said and earned a robust applause.

Despite having endured unspeakable pain, these women have somehow mustered up the strength to attack the "the epidemic of gun violence" that has unapologetically torn down their communities.

"Now, my opponent, who will be speaking to you tomorrow, and I don't see this the same way," Clinton stated. "But I think this is a national emergency, and I'm going to do everything I can to take on the gun lobby and to try to save lives, the lives of the children of women like this and the sisters and the brothers and the daughters and the sons of so many others."

Clinton and Sanders have battled extensively on the campaign trail out over their gun positions.

A new Wall Street Journal poll shows Clinton ahead by 17 percent in the Empire State. There is still no sign of Sharpton endorsing either candidate.