Clinton’s Support Among Black Voters, and Chris Rock’s Oscar Debacle

FEATURING COURTNEY MORRIS – Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton swept the Super Tuesday races after winning the South Carolina primary race last weekend. Her wins relied heavily on record numbers of African American voters leading some in the Bernie Sanders camp to ask questions like, “why did Black South Carolinians vote against their own interests?” Clinton was under scrutiny recently for her past support of tough-on-crime legislation after a young black activist had confronted her publicly with a placard quoting her use of the word “super-predators” to describe black youth.

Meanwhile, the 88th Academy Awards was in the news last weekend too – not as much for who won best actor, but for who was not nominated at all – people of color. Comedian Chris Rock, who em-ceed the event, unleashed a monologue that failed to hit the mark and drew even more criticism. But well-known black artists such as Ryan Coogler, Ava Duvernay, and Stevie Wonder, made appearances at an event called #JusticeForFlint, held to coincide with the Oscars.

Courtney Morris is an assistant professor of African American and Women’s Studies at Penn State University.