Arkansas Author’s Tea Time Musings Include Hillary

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are accused of a “race to the bottom.” Neither holds rock-star clout with the American electorate, but the former Secretary of State is buoyed by her connection to our current President via her former role in his Cabinet, and she is married to Bill Clinton, the nation’s 42nd President. But associations aside, Mrs. Clinton distinguished herself as a smart lawyer and a dedicated child advocate working with Marian Edelman Wright of the Children’s Defense Fund and others who fight for the interests of children.

Carolyn Hobbs is an advocate for at-risk youth who worked with Clinton during her years in Arkansas. In her new book Sipping Tea for the Spirit, Hobbs remembers Clinton as “dedicated to families.” She recalls Clinton’s decision to take a group of teenagers to Washington, D.C. for her husband’s first Presidential Inauguration.

“Hillary was able to influence young men to say ‘No’ to gangs, and it changed their lives. I started working with them when they came back from their trip. At that time, there was a lot of gang activity in Little Rock, and HBO produced the documentary, “Gangbanging in Little Rock.”

Clinton’s supporters often point to her decades of work helping families. But, her critics, including Donald Trump, question her motives. Last week Trump called Clinton a “bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future.”

The Clintons have also been accused of targeting the Black family by supporting welfare reform legislation.

Hobbs says, “I worked with that program, and they provided transportation, babysitting, and everything a person needed to get on her feet. It just wasn’t utilized properly. Welfare is not our friend because it keeps you dependent. We need stepping stones to better ourselves and get out of the system.”

The tenacity that even Mrs. Clinton’s critics admit she displays resonates with Hobbs who tells the story in Sipping Tea of her great-great-grandmother who was raped and impregnated by her slave master at the tender age of 12. “She never let slavery stop her. She became a natural healer and a midwife,” Hobbs shares.

The book Hobbs penned is an ode to her Grandma Rose and a reflection on the impact race relations had on her family. But, it is also a reminder of the gritty street life far too many young Black Americans live. Clearly, Hobbs believes the former Arkansas First Lady who pushed for youth programs understands the frustrations and will address them from the White House.