WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Democratic National Committee should host more presidential candidate debates and hold a discussion on racial injustice, the Black Lives Matter movement said in a petition.
"The Black Lives Matter network and our allies urge Democratic National Committee Chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz to allow for more presidential candidate debates leading up to the Presidential election in 2016, and to support a Black Lives Matter-themed presidential debate," the petition read on Tuesday.
The Black Lives Matter movement was established after Ferguson, Missouri police shot dead African-American teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida in July 2013. It has become a political force in the United States since.
In the petition, the movement argued that the US public should hear substantive responses and policy recommendations that would stop racial injustice.
"Limiting the number of debates unfairly privileges some candidates over others, and cheats voters out of the opportunity to fully engage candidates on issues we care about," the petition said.
The Democratic National Committee has scheduled six presidential candidate debates before the 2016 Democratic primary elections.
Most candidates debated about 15 times prior to 2008, according to media reports.
Rivals of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton have previously said she is limiting the number of the presidential candidate debates for her benefit.
The US presidential election is scheduled for November 8, 2016.
