President Obama Addresses the Congressional Black Caucus

He “noted that she [Clinton] could relate to first lady Michelle Obama’s concerns over the pay gap that women face compared to their male counterparts”, the report says.

Obama’s remarks on the criminal justice system, specifically the need for a better relationship between police and citizens, drew a loud response at the annual Congressional Black Caucus awards dinner in Washington.

Obama said black women were the “foot soldiers” who did the behind-the-scenes work of strategizing boycotts and organizing marches while others received the credit. It’s thanks to black women that we’ve come a long way since the days when a girl like Ruby Bridges couldn’t go to school…Black women have been a part of every great movement in American history. And in an unprecedented move as a sitting president, Obama made a clear delineation to explain how the sexual assault of Black women and girls often fuels the prison pipeline, stating that “the incarceration rate for Black women is twice as high as the rate for White women”.

“We’ve got to make sure they are getting some ten dollar bills”, he said, “that they are getting paid properly”.

He was due to speak again on Saturday, but with the campaign to succeed him in full swing, the president was certain to face some competition for attention.

Biden has said that he is considering a presidential run against Democrats like front-runner Hillary Clinton and surging Vermont Sen.

Vice-President Joe Biden attended a caucus prayer breakfast before heading to his home in Delaware for the weekend.

While Obama spent mic time praising the “uncommon bravery” of police, indicating the “vast majority do right thing”, he said equal emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring the law is applied fairly. “We appreciate them and we love them”.

Posthumous honors are being given to Amelia Boynton Robinson, an organizer of the Bloody Sunday march to Montgomery, Alabama, in March 1965.

Boynton Robinson died late last month at age 104.