Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Brown & Black co-founder says 'hallelujah' to Clinton focus on criminal justice reform
Des Moines Register:Wayne Ford sat in the front row at Monday night’s Brown & Black Forum, waiting for a telltale sign.
Which of the three Democratic candidates at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium — Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley or Hillary Clinton — would strike the right chord with him on issues that disproportionately affect African-Americans, Latinos and other minorities? The night's agenda focused on deeply entrenched civil rights concerns that in the last two years have divided our nation and sparked protests and riots in major cities.
Ford, a 64-year-old African-American former state representative, co-founded this forum — regarded as the nation’s oldest presidential forum on minority issues — in 1984 with Latino community activist Mary Campos, who sat next to him.
...snip...
The forum convinced Ford to endorse Clinton for president ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Making criminal justice reform the top priority, combined with broader and tougher international experience than her rivals, was enough to sway him.
