| February 06, 2020 10:40 PM
S en. Elizabeth Warren blamed systemic racism for the reason several women of color left her campaign in Nevada.
"I'm also very aware that racism and oppression in this country have left a long legacy," the Massachusetts Democrat told MSNBC on Thursday. "It creates the kind of toxicity where people — power structures — people take advantage of other people. It's something for which we have to be constantly vigilant and constantly determined to do better."
Warren, 70, reiterated that she took "responsibility" for the events that caused six women of color to leave her Nevada campaign team. Several of the women said they felt as if they were token minorities for the campaign.
"During the time I was employed with Nevada for Warren, there was definitely something wrong with the culture," Megan Lewis, a field organizer, said. "I filed a complaint with HR, but the follow-up I received left me feeling as though I needed to make myself smaller or change who I was to fit into the office culture."
Campaign spokeswoman Kristen Orthman tried to downplay the complaints against the campaign. "We have an organization of more than a thousand people, and, whenever we hear concerns, we take them seriously. It’s important that everyone who is part of our team has a voice and can be heard. That’s why we are proud that we have a unionized staff and clear processes for issues to be addressed," she said.
Warren is currently polling in third place for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to RealClearPolitics.