Hillary Clinton is seen having a frank discussion about race issues in the U.S. with members of the Black Lives Matter movement in a new leaked video.
Clinton met privately with the group, which advocates for the rights of African-Americans, after it was denied entry to a campaign event on substance abuse.
In the video, Black Lives Matter members speak with Clinton about several issues facing African-Americans, like mass incarceration and the “original sin” of slavery and its impact on Americans today.
“Look, I don’t believe you change hearts,” Clinton said. “I believe you change laws, you change allocation of resources, you change the way systems operate.”
“You’re not going to change every heart,” she continued. “You’re not. But at the end of the day, we could do a whole lot to change some hearts and change some systems and create more opportunities for people who deserve to have them, to live up to their own God-given potential.”
The conversation also turned tense at times, such as when Clinton offered suggestions to the group concerning how they can better convey their message to white Americans. “I say this as respectfully as I can,” one of the activists said, “But you don’t tell black people what we need to do. And we won’t tell you all what you need to do.”
Black Lives Matter was founded in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. Since then, the group has become a leading voice in American politics, calling for changes to laws regarding police brutality and the treatment of black citizens in general.
Protesters from the group interrupted a rally for Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders earlier this month in Seattle, with two women taking the stage and demanding the right to speak to those assembled.