The office of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren appears to have been unaware she was set to speak at a historically black university last month when a staffer asked the school to provide the “demographics” of the graduating class.
“Would you be available sometime today or tomorrow to discuss a few details about the ceremony?” Christopher Huntley, a speechwriter for Warren, asked in an email addressed to Larry Jones of Morgan State University that was obtained by The Daily Caller. “It would be helpful to get a better understanding of audience demographics and the makeup of the graduating class in addition to any unique messages that will be associated with this year’s ceremony.”
US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) addresses a town hall meeting in Roxbury, Massachusetts, October 13, 2018. (Photo by Joseph PREZIOSO / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty Images)
Warren was set to speak at Morgan State University, which qualifies as a historically black college and university (HBCU). HBCU’s are institutions that were established prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the goal of serving black students.
The graduating ceremony took place last month and was notable because Warren acknowledged she was not a person of color despite having stated that she is Native American in the past.
“I’m not a person of color. And I haven’t lived your life or experienced anything like the subtle prejudice, or more overt harm, that you may have experienced just because of the color of your skin,” Warren said. “Rules matter, and our government — not just individuals within the government, but the government itself — has systematically discriminated against Black people in this country.”
Warren released a DNA test in October in an apparent attempt to combat President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on her alleged Native American ancestry. The test results showed that she has a Native American ancestor “in the range of 6–10 generations ago.”
She had been identified as a minority multiple times in her past, including in her professional career. A 1997 Fordham Law Review article identified Warren as Harvard Law School’s “first woman of color.” (RELATED: Harvard Law School Once Touted Liz Warren As Native American Professor)
Earlier this month, she announced that she was forming an exploratory committee to determine whether or not she will officially run for president in 2020.
Warren’s office did not respond to a request for comment.