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Hillary Clinton, seeking to cement her lead among black voters, released statements from the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis on Tuesday criticizing Bernie Sanders for saying white people “don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto.”

The Vermont senator, who has struggled to persuade blacks to support him, made the statement during a debate in Flint, Mich., on Sunday. The CNN moderator Don Lemon asked both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders to describe their “racial blind spots.”

“When you’re white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto — you don’t know what it’s like to be poor,” Mr. Sanders said. “You don’t know what it’s like to be hassled when you walk down the street or you get dragged out of a car.”

The remarks provoked an immediate online backlash from people who pointed out that many whites also live in dilapidated housing and in low-income neighborhoods.

Mr. Sanders clarified his statements on Monday in comments to several reporters in Detroit.

“What I meant to say is when you talk about ghettos traditionally, what you’re talking about is African-American communities,” said Mr. Sanders, standing near his campaign’s chartered plane.

On Tuesday, the Clinton campaign released statements from Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Mr. Martin, and Lucia McBath, the mother of Mr. Davis. The two black teenagers were killed in separate shootings in Florida that became racial flash points.

“Senator Sanders is wrong to suggest that the concept of the ghetto is inextricably connected to black America,” Ms. Fulton said in the statement. “We need a president who understands black families don’t all live in ghettos — and who has a plan to end the racial violence that too often plagues families like mine.”

The mothers also attacked Mr. Sanders’s position on gun control and denounced the fact that the National Rifle Association praised the senator’s stance against holding most gun manufacturers responsible for the actions of people who buy weapons legally and go on to commit crimes.

“Combating gun violence is a top priority for my family and countless families across this nation,” Ms. McBath said in the statement released Tuesday. “That’s why it’s so disappointing to see the N.R.A. defending Senator Sanders on guns.”