The legacy of slavery and segregation and suppression is alive and well. We need to root out racism from every aspect of our society—from our economy to our healthcare system to our schools to our democracy. pic.twitter.com/lTQqKdK5qW

Tuesday during the first night of CNN’s Democratic presidential debates, 2020 presidential hopeful former Rep Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) declared that “Jim Crow and suppression” were “alive and well.”

O’Rourke said, “I want to acknowledge something that we’re all touching on which is the very foundation of this country, the wealth that we have built, the way we became the greatest country on the face of the planet was literally on the backs of those who were kidnapped and brought here by force. The legacy of slavery and segregation and Jim Crow and suppression is alive and well in every aspect of the economy and country. Today as president, I will sign into law a new Voting Rights Act. I will focus on education, address health care disparities, and also sign into law Sheila Jackson Lee’s reparations bill so we can have the national conversation we waited too long in this country to have.”