Former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett said Tuesday she's fine after actress Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet about her, but expressed her concerns about others who are subjected to racism daily.
Jarrett appeared on a pre-taped MSNBC town hall called "Everyday Racism" that was slated to air Tuesday night. Hours before airing, the network played Jarrett's response to Barr's now-deleted tweet that claimed the former senior White House adviser was the offspring of "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes."
"I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment. I'm fine, I'm worried about all the people out there who don't have a circle of friends and followers who come right to their defense," Jarrett said.
"The person who's walking down a street minding their own business and they see somebody cling to their purse or run across the street. Or every black parent I know who has a boy who has to sit down and have a conversation. The talk, as we call it. And as you say, those ordinary examples of racism that happen every single day."
Barr tweeted this Monday night about Jarrett: "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."
She deleted the tweet and posted an apology Tuesday, but ABC canceled her "Roseanne" sitcom because of the controversy.
MSNBC announced Jarrett's participation in its town hall earlier Tuesday:
The town hall was set up to coincide with the closure of thousands of Starbucks across the country Tuesday for employees to undergo anti-bias training. Those sessions were set up after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks for wanting to use the restroom and then, after being denied, sat at a table and did not order anything.
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