Donna Brazile on LA Justice and The Secret Service

In the June/July 2004 Index Magazine:

"Elana Berkowitz: Even as Al Gore's campaign manager, you experienced incidents of discrimination?

Donna Brazile: On the campaign trail every staff person was given an identification pin to wear. But instead of looking at my pin, the Secret Service men tended to look at my black skin and say, 'Where are you going?' I'm like, 'Uh ... I work for Al gore.' One time in particular, when we were in Los Angeles for a big televised Presidential debate, I arrived at Al Gore's hotel from Washington State just as he was leaving for rehearsal. I knew that the elevator would be filled up, so I thought I'd just go down the stairs. Little did I know that the Secret Service and the Los Angeles police were in the stairwell trying to secure the building. Girl, they drew guns on me and threw them in my face. My pin, my ID, nothing worked. I'm sure it was my black skin, because every other credential said who I was. They finally released me once Gore had left the building. That was probably one of the only times aside from November 7, 2000 that I cried."