Edwards in Hot Water for Remarks about Black Men

by Daunte Henderson

Democratic candidate, John Edwards thinks young African American males will become extinct in the near future.
 
In a recent MTV political forum Edwards voiced his opinion on inner-city kids partaking in violence. Edwards said he believed death and prison would erase young African American males as a whole.
 
“We cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the idea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating — pretty soon we’re not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They’re all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two.” said Edwards.
 
The quote has received a lot of criticism for its lack of evidence and generality. Edwards also stated similar sentiments in a prior speech in 2006. In the speech Edwards said African American men don’t see worth of their futures.
 
"Young African American men see their options as going to prison or dying. As a result, they don't invest in their education, they don't invest in their futures and when they father children, they don't support them." said Edwards in a 2006 speech.
 
Edwards campaign spokesman, Eric Schultz, defended Democratic candidate Edwards in a recent interview.
“John Edwards was making the point that this President refuses to accept that the odds of young African-American males either dying or being incarcerated is terribly high. Studies show that one in three black men can expect to go to jail in their lifetimes. Unlike George Bush, who just wants to stick his head in the sand, as president, Edwards will address the issue head-on so that all Americans--whether African-American or not--can live a better life and the American dream.” said Schultz.