Press Release - Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Civil Rights Leader Calls for Bennett's Radio Program to Be Pulled
Former Secretary of Education Makes Blatantly Racist Comments
For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
September 29, 2005
Washington - In response to the statement made by former Secretary of Education Bill Bennett suggesting that if "you wanted to reduce crime ... if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, issued the following statement:
"Bill Bennett's blatantly racist remarks are outrageous. He isn't just some shock jock. He's the former Secretary of Education and he should know better. His comments were not only intolerable but completely irresponsible. His program should be pulled."
Bennett served in both the Reagan and Bush administrations. His radio program, Bill Bennett's Morning in America, airs on roughly 115 radio stations with an estimated weekly audience of 1.25 million listeners. To hear Bennett's ignorant comments in full: http://clips.mediamatters.org/static/audio/bennett-200509280006.mp3
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The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights is the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition.
