'This is an American problem': Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg addresses systemic racism in Chicago speech

CHICAGO - South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg addressed the need to tackle systemic racism in a Chicago speech Tuesday as he continues to navigate heightened racial tensions in his city following a police shooting that has dominated his presidential campaign for two weeks.

Buttigieg said the nation's policing, healthcare, housing and school systems all are "burdened by racism," a condition he said threatens to undermine the nation's future.

"All of American life takes place under these shadows, not some distant historical artifact but as burning present reality that hurts everyone and everything it touches. If we do not tackle the problem of racial inequality in my lifetime, I am convinced it will upend the American project in my lifetime," Buttigieg said. "It brought our country to its knees once, and if we do not act, it could again. I believe this is