Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Thursday's Inside Politics show, CNN host John King joined political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson in blaming slavery for racial disparities in health that have been getting attention during the pandemic, with King declaring that "you cannot deny facts and numbers."
But one of his colleagues - British-born CNN International anchor Christiane Amanpour -- has pointed out that similar racial disparities have shown up in her home country where she has recently resided since the pandemic began.
The group were having a discussion of Congress passing a law making June 19th (Juneteenth) a Federal holiday to commemorate the freeing of slaves in Texas after the Civil War. King brought up 14 House Republicans who voted against creating the new holiday, and suggested that Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT) did not have a right to speak out against its passage because he is white:
I'm going to say this, and I'm going to get in trouble for it, but Matt Rosendale might want to look in the mirror, and you were not enslaved, and so maybe you don't have the standing on this issue. But you can debate critical race theory if you want -- you're welcome to it. You can debate other things in school. Why is this one hard?
Henderson responded by asserting that she was surprised that there were not more Republicans voting against the new holiday, and then invoked slavery as the reason for many of the social problems that disproportionately affect African Americans in modern times:
I think these Republicans are very much on brand -- the ones who voted against this holiday in terms of where the Republican party is and not really wanting to acknowledge slavery -- acknowledge the after effects of slavery and the lingering effects of slavery. And I will say that, listen, the symbolism of this is great. As I said, I'll be off tomorrow, you know, if Jeff Zucker allows me to be off. But, you know, I mean, slavery, the lingering effects of slavery are real, and we feel them to this day.
She added:
It was a racial system, but it was an economic system, and you can see in all of the numbers in terms of economic inequality, the way that breaks down along race, so, you know, pat on the back for this holiday, it's great, it's symbolism, but, again, it's sort of the real effects of slavery and segregation and everything that came after it are still being felt to this day, and not little being addressed.
King agreed with her reasoning: "They lived through it in the 14, 15 months of COVID as well as the health care disparities. The numbers speak for themselves. It's just -- you cannot deny facts and numbers."
But blacks living in the United Kingdom similarly were disproportionately harmed by the pandemic. On the May 20, 2020, Amanpour & Co., as Nikole Hannah-Jones of the New York Times complained about the absence of universal health care in the U.S., suggesting that it would prevent health disparities experienced by the black population, Amanpour admitted that things were similar in Britain:
We've looked at the figures here (in the United Kingdom) as well. I mean, it's socioeconomic as well. But here, as you know, we have universal health care -- national health care system here in the UK -- and the COVID mortality rates for blacks and other minorities here are four times higher than those of white Britons according to the Office of National Statistics. You know, they're obviously in the public facing jobs. Are you surprised that it's happening also in a nation that does have a welfare net -- a social security net, you know, the NHS?
This episode of CNN's Inside Politics was sponsored in part by Hughes Net. Their contact information is linked.
Transcript follows:
CNN's Inside Politics
June 17, 2021
12:37 p.m Eastern
JOHN KING: Let's come back to the 14, and if you have it, put them back up on the screen -- 14 Republican no votes. Chip Roy says it's going to needlessly divide us. Matt Rosendale of Montana says, "Let's call an ace an ace. This is an effort by the left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics as part of its larger efforts to make Critical Race Theory the reigning ideology of our country,"
I'm going to say this, and I'm going to get in trouble for it, but Matt Rosendale might want to look in the mirror, and you were not enslaved, and so maybe you don't have the standing on this issue. But you can debate critical race theory if you want -- you're welcome to it. You can debate other things in school. Why is this one hard?
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON: You know, I'm actually surprised more Republicans didn't join those 14 because that's certainly where the Republican party is now in part of this Critical Race Theory, this idea that somehow, you know, 10-year-olds are being taught this very complicated legal theory in their elementary schools, and they are moving to ban it in several states where it doesn't even exist, again. So, yeah, I mean, I think these Republicans are very much on brand -- the ones who voted against this holiday in terms of where the Republican party is and not really wanting to acknowledge slavery -- acknowledge the after effects of slavery and the lingering effects of slavery.
And I will say that, listen, the symbolism of this is great. As I said, I'll be off tomorrow, you know, if Jeff Zucker allows me to be off. But, you know, I mean, slavery, the lingering effects of slavery are real, and we feel them to this day. It was a racial system, but it was an economic system, and you can see in all of the numbers in terms of economic inequality, the way that breaks down along race, so, you know, pat on the back for this holiday, it's great, it's symbolism, but, again, it's sort of the real effects of slavery and segregation and everything that came after it are still being felt to this day, and not little being addressed.
KING: They lived through it in the 14, 15 months of COVID as well as the health care disparities. The numbers speak for themselves. It's just -- you cannot deny facts and numbers.
