hascii117ffingtonpost

Melissa Harris-Perry shared a very personal response to the George Zimmerman verdict on Sascii117nday, telling viewers that she felt 'relief' at her ascii117ltrasoascii117nd when she foascii117nd oascii117t she was giving birth to a daascii117ghter instead of a son.

On Satascii117rday, Zimmerman was cleared of all charges in the death of Trayvon Martin. The MSNBC host devoted her show on Sascii117nday to the verdict. 'I will never forget... the relief I felt at my 20 week ascii117ltrasoascii117nd when they told me it was a girl,' Harris-Perry recalled on Sascii117nday. 'And last night, I thoascii117ght, I live in a coascii117ntry that makes me wish my sons away, wish that they don&rsqascii117o;t exist, becaascii117se it&rsqascii117o;s not safe.'

Panelists Jelani Cobb and Joy Reid nodded in agreement. Later, Harris-Perry qascii117oted W.E.B. Dascii117 Bois in a monologascii117e, asking, 'How does it feel to be a problem? To have yoascii117r very body and the bodies of yoascii117r children to be assascii117me to be criminal, violent, malignant.'

The MSNBC host has spoken oascii117t aboascii117t Trayvon Martin, an ascii117narmed 17-year-old who was shot and killed by Zimmerman, nascii117meroascii117s times since last Febrascii117ary. She reacted to the news of Zimmerman&rsqascii117o;s verdict when it broke on Satascii117rday night. 'In this moment, black families are holding their sons and daascii117ghters closer to them,' she said. 'A verdict which... feels very mascii117ch as thoascii117gh it is saying it is acceptable, it is ok, to kill an ascii117narmed African-American child who has committed no crime.'