Vice President Mike Pence is being pressed on whether he will say “Black Lives Matter.”
Philadelphia 6abc anchor Brian Taff asked the vice president during an interview on Friday about protests that have erupted across the country over the past few weeks for justice for George Floyd and others as well as a call to end racism.
“There are only really a handful of elected Republican leaders in Washington who have uttered those words, Black Lives Matter,” Taff said, adding, “And I wonder, sir, if those are words that you will utter right here — right here today. Black Lives Matter. Can you say those words?”
Pence, however, responded by saying that what happened to Floyd — an unarmed black man who had his neck pinned on by a Minneapolis police officer and died in police custody — was a “tragedy.”
“All lives matter in a very real sense,” Pence said. He continued to say that “justice would be served,” adding, “We’ve met with law enforcement leaders, we’ve met with African-American leaders, and I think the people of Philadelphia can be encouraged by the president’s action this week.”
After the vice president’s remarks, the anchor continued to press for Pence to say the words “Black lives matter,” as the anchor said, “There is an important distinction.”
“People are saying ‘of course all lives matter,’ but to say the words is an acknowledgment that black lives also matter in a time in this country when it appears that there’s a segment of our society that doesn’t agree,” Taff said. “So why will you not say those words?”
Pence responded:
“I don’t accept the fact, Brian, that there’s a segment of American society that disagrees in the preciousness and importance of every human life. […] We’re absolutely determined to improve the lives of our African-American citizens with more job opportunities, more educational opportunities.”
Taff then added, “One final time — you won’t say the words and we understand your explanation.”
See Pence’s comments below:
Pence’s remarks came as many across the nation marched in Juneteenth observances, as IJR reported. Juneteenth marks the end of slavery, dating back to when the freedom was announced by a Union general on June 19, 1865, in Texas.
Several people have called for Juneteenth to be recognized as a federal holiday, including Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who said, “Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the US. And it should be recognized as a federal holiday.”
