ATLANTA (AP) -- Some prominent Republicans are speaking out about race, expressing empathy for the challenges faced by black Americans, after a spate of racially tinged gun violence that saw two black men killed by police and retaliatory attacks by a black sniper that killed five Dallas police officers.House Speaker Paul Ryan and one of his predecessors, Newt Gingrich, have argued for frank conversations about race, citing some hurdles unique to African-Americans.
"It's important that we acknowledge ... there are people in this country who believe that because of their color of their skin, they're not as safe as everybody else," Ryan said recently on CNN.
Gingrich, among the finalists to be Donald Trump's vice presidential pick, said, it was "difficult" for white Americans to "appreciate how real" it is for black Americans to live in fear of a "situation where the police don't respect you and you could easily get killed."