(CNN) Former Vice President Joe Biden urged Americans to tackle a "white man's culture" dating back centuries that has allowed violence against women to perpetuate.

Biden has long worked to prevent violence against women, but his comments are notable coming amid speculation that he is close to entering the 2020 Democratic presidential field, the most diverse in history.

"We all have an obligation to do nothing less than change the culture in this country," Biden said at an event at the Russian Tea Room in New York City Tuesday night, which was hosted by the Biden Foundation and It's On Us, honoring students who have worked to end sexual assault on college campuses. "This is English jurisprudential culture, a white man's culture. It's got to change."

The former vice president also lamented his role in the 1991 confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, during which Anita Hill alleged she faced sexual harassment by Thomas. At the time, Biden was a Delaware senator who was chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee, and progressives have since criticized his handling of the hearings into her accusations, which ultimately did not derail Thomas' ascension to the Supreme Court.

"We knew a lot less about the extent of harassment back then, over 30 years ago. She paid a terrible price. She was abused for the hearing. She was taken advantage of. Her reputation was attacked. I wish I could have done something," Biden said Tuesday. "To this day, I regret I couldn't come up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved, given the courage she showed by reaching out to us."

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