Belcher spoke to MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace on Thursday, saying she agreed with all of Sanders’ criticisms, but took it to “another level” when she called the remarks racist slang.
“As someone who is Southern, born and raised in the South, when I hear a Southern governor say the word ‘humility,’ it brings up a racial metaphor that I find very familiar. And the key word is ‘humility,’” said Belcher, who worked on two campaigns for former President Barack Obama.
“Because it’s always been about, ‘Arrogant Black people’ and, ‘Know your roots,’” he continued. “That’s the dimension that they think they’re leaning into, and they’re constantly leaning into. Vice President Harris is, ‘An arrogant Black person who doesn’t know her place, and she needs to be humble.’ That’s how I connect the dots on that.”
“I put this in their context of leaning into racial hatred and resentment politics,” Belcher added. “This is a historical warning when we talk about Black people not being humble and not knowing their place.”
Wallace agreed that this was the “heart” of what Sanders was talking about.
