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Chelsea Clinton makes campaign stop at MSU on Thursday

September 22, 2016
Chelsea Clinton gives a speech on Sept. 22, 2016 in the Union
Chelsea Clinton gives a speech on Sept. 22, 2016 in the Union

With the Union filled with students, press and supporters, Chelsea Clinton stopped on the campaign trail at MSU on Thursday with a plan to canvass for her mother, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

Ron Owens III and Ewurama Appiagyei-Dankah, both MSU students, opened for Chelsea Clinton.

Owens spoke about racial inequality and the importance of student involvement in the campaign.

"We need you to join the fight now," Owens said.

Appiagyei-Dankah spoke about her experiences with education as a first-generation American.

"We are here tonight because we all understand that education is one of the major keys for us to secure the lives that we want for ourselves and for the future," Appiagyei-Dankah said.

Chelsea Clinton began her speech by explaining why she plans to vote for Hillary.

"It matters to me that my mom is the only person running for president who has a real plan," she said.

Chelsea Clinton said she supports her mother for president "as a woman, as a Democrat, as a progressive."

Hillary's early career depended on the grace period she was given on her loans from Yale, Chelsea Clinton said. "She never could have gone to work for the Children's Defense Fund if she had to worry about immediately paying off her student loans."

Chelsea Clinton then spoke about the Clinton campaign's New College Compact, a college affordability plan released on Sept. 12. The New College Compact would give breaks to students with loan debt who take public interest jobs.

The New College Compact would also make tuition free for in-state college and university students whose families earn less than $125,000 per year, which Clinton highlighted in her speech.

Chelsea Clinton took questions from the crowd on a number of issues, including Alzheimer's disease research and paid medical leave.

Chelsea Clinton said Hillary worked to secure "the constitutional right to an education" for "young African American men who were trapped in the adult prison system" in South Carolina.

Chelsea Clinton said she believes the rhetoric used in this election has led to an increase in hate crimes against Muslims in America. There has been a "normalization of hate speech," she said, which is "not disputed by the Republican party."

When asked about Black Lives Matter, Chelsea Clinton said Hillary would set a different tone than Donald Trump. "Social justice has been a core part" of Hillary's work, she said.

A student asked Chelsea Clinton about sexual assault on college campuses.

"We need more training for campus police," Chelsea Clinton said. She also said that both medical professionals and police need to be prepared to help survivors of sexual assault physically and mentally.

Survivors of sexual assault "should always feel heard," Chelsea Clinton said, advocating for more long-term support for those affected. 

Clinton shook hands and took photos with several students in the full-capacity crowd before exiting the stage.

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