Presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson talks at Rock Hill yoga studio
Democratic presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson spoke to about 50 people after a yoga class in Rock Hill Monday.
Speaking for more than an hour, the self-help author and lecturer, took questions from the audience and outlined her plan for education and racial discrimination.
Traditional politics is not enough to beat Donald Trump, Williamson said.
Williamson has struggled in the polls among the other 17 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. She did not make the cut for the Democratic debate earlier this month and will not appear on the debate stage in November.
“Now, I’m running for president and as you know, I’m about one of 1,736 people who are running,” she said.
The crowd, mostly white women, crammed into a room in the Synergy Yoga studio, laughed.
“They’re all really cool and they’re really good and they’re all very nice people,” Williamson said. “And they’re all telling you the truth. What I’m saying to you however is that we have to do more than tell the truth. We have to do what you have to do in a court of law, when you raise your hand and you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We need a level of truth telling that we don’t normally associate with politics.”
Williamson said the governor’s schools in South Carolina are “extraordinary” and if elected, she would work to improve the conditions of schools.
“When you go to these schools, it was both totally inspiring and totally heartbreaking at the same time,” she said. “Totally inspiring because, this is what education could be, and heartbreaking because you have what 280 students. If I’m president. I want every school in America to be a palace of learning and a palace of culture.”
The crowd erupted with claps.
Williamson said her plan to provide $500 billion in reparations for the descendants of enslaved people is just the first step in addressing racial inequalities in the country.
“The reason I want reparations for slavery is because I want to end one aberrational chapter of American history,” she said. “Whether you’re a country or a person, you can’t have the future you want, unless you’re willing to clean up the past.”
Williamson will hold a forum on improving mental health awareness at Winthrop at 2 p.m. She will talk with singer Michelle Williams and radio host Charlamagne Tha God.
This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 2:08 PM.
