The land on which they (the Founding Fathers) formed this Union was stolen. The hands with which they built this nation were enslaved. The women who birthed the citizens of the nation are second class. This is the imperfect fabric of our nation, at times weโve torn and stained it, and at other moments, we mend and repair it. But itโs ours, all of it. The imperialism, the genocide, the slavery, also the liberation and the hope and the deeply American belief that our best days still lie ahead of us.
Melissa Harris-PerryI think the most critical needs of the African-American communities aren't being addressed primarily because of decisions being made by Republican Congressional leaders.
Melissa Harris-PerryI just keep thinking of how many times I`ve heard Ferguson effect. And I`ve heard it because of protests, officers are afraid to do their job because of - because of a YouTube effect.
Melissa Harris-PerryAccording to the CDC, more than one in three women and one in four men in the United States have been victims of domestic violence. It is a widespread public health problem, and every year 1,600 women and 700 men are killed by their intimate partners. One of the biggest risk factors that domestic violence will become fatal is the presence of a gun.
Melissa Harris-PerryI do think that we have to be careful not to assume that getting a perm or wearing a blonde wig is a desire for whiteness. It may or may not be. Listen, I live in a poor black neighborhood where women wear blue hair, green hair, and all kinds of stuff. So, I simply see it as a different set of choices.
Melissa Harris-PerryThe folks like myself that do this for a living, we were expecting a regular campaign had built the databases, done all the new social media, learned our lessons from [Barack] Obama whipping us twice on how to do voter contact, and then Donald Trump gets in it and turns it into a national election.
Melissa Harris-PerryWe were looking for the Rick Perries, the Scott Walkers, the Bobby Jindals, all to probably still be on the stage.They`re all gone and [Donald] Trump has sucked the oxygen out of race and made it a national race courtesy a little bit of NBC making him a celebrity, second of all, just his personality.
Melissa Harris-Perry