CHARLESTON, S.C.–Pete Buttigieg acknowledges he will never know what it is like to live the experiences of black Americans. At the National Action Network Ministers Breakfast, hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton, in South Carolina, he said he’s made mistakes, but he believes he’s gotten better for them.
Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, won the Democrat Caucus in Iowa and came in second in New Hampshire. But, he didn’t do as well in Nevada, and he will have to do well with black voters to defy the polls and earn a spot in the top three in South Carolina.
“The people who I served, some of them who have come to South Carolina to share South Bend’s story, will share how we showed up after that election, how we got together and took a city that was described as dying in the national media, and got that city growing,” he said.
The former mayor acknowledged both making mistakes in how he handled policing and racial issues and spoke candidly about his inherent inadequacies.
“I will never know what it is like walking down the street and in a mall to feel eyes on me, assessing me, believing I am dangerous without knowing the first thing about what I’m actually like, just because of the color of my skin,” he said.
The event was hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton, who both introduced the former mayor and shook his hand cordially at the end of his speech.
