ST. LOUIS — Hillary Rodham Clinton is putting America's struggle with race relations at the forefront of her presidential campaign, joining with church members near the epicenter of violent protests in Ferguson, Mo., as the nation grapples with the deadly shootings of nine black church members in South Carolina.
The leading Democratic presidential contender plans to attend a community meeting Tuesday at a church in Florissant, Mo., a short drive from the site of the unrest in Ferguson after the August death of Michael Brown, a black, unarmed 18-year-old, who was shot by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Brown's death spurred anger and led to a national "Black Lives Matter" movement demanding changes in how police deal with minorities.
Clinton largely avoided giving race relations a prominent role in her 2008 Democratic campaign against Barack Obama, who was vying to become the nation's first black president at the time. Yet the former secretary of state has leaned into a number of issues closely watched by blacks this time, discussing the need to change the criminal justice system, improving access to voting and helping minority small business owners.
Clinton's campaign hopes to mobilize black voters in large numbers in the 2016 election, building upon the coalition of minority, young and liberal voters who powered Obama's two White House campaigns. The message has taken fresh urgency since last week's church massacre in Charleston, S.C., which happened shortly after Clinton campaigned in the city.
In suburban St. Louis, Clinton's meeting will be hosted by the Rev. Traci Blackmon, the pastor of Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant and a member of the Ferguson Commission, a panel tasked with making recommendations to address underlying social and economic issues connected to the riots.
