Last night, a group of mothers took the stage to promote Hillary Clinton and talk about the tragedies that united them – their children’s lives prematurely taken in acts of gun violence, at the hands of law enforcement and civilians. They stood there, together, each adorned with a large, red flower, sharing their stories and speaking of hope for common sense gun legislation and communities coming together to address racism. It was all very well and good.

And you know what? Those women were brave to do that. They were brave to get up there and speak their minds following the tragedies that had taken over their lives. For them to do that, in front of thousands, and in front of the nation, it was huge for them. I don’t agree with the political stances they have taken on the subject, but that is their right.

I felt the same thing watching the mothers of those who lost their lives in Benghazi. Their stories are of passion and heartbreak, as well, as a system fails them just like a system failed the sons of the mothers who spoke at the DNC. The only difference between them is that the Democrats praised one group as heroic and brave…

Brave mothers calling for peace #BlackLivesMatter#dnc#trayvonmartin#gohometrumppic.twitter.com/D1xocGreQf

— Lisa D Walker (@stovetopped) July 27, 2016

…while the other was just exploited for political purpose.

When you think the GOP can’t go any lower, they exploit a mother’s pain for political points.#RNCinCLEhttps://t.co/e70ynmR6iv

— Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) July 19, 2016

Look at how CNN covered the two speeches and tell me there isn’t something a double standard. Here’s a shot of their Benghazi mother story:

And their gun violence mother story:

It was fairly obvious to all that it was going to happen, the moment it was reported the mothers of the slain black children were going to be speaking. It’s all about the agenda. You speak out against Hillary Clinton and you are obviously a partisan hack, or a useful tool for Republicans. But, if you speak out for Hillary Clinton and for gun control, then you’re a hero and should be lauded as such.

It was expected, but that doesn’t make it any less disgusting.

The truth of the matter is that if the Benghazi mothers were exploited, then so were these. They were cast for one thing, and one thing only – to show that racism is alive and well and only with Hillary can we conquer it. Their personal tragedies were just used to get people mad at the state of race relations in America, one that has only gotten worse under Barack Obama. What can Hillary do to actually fix it?

Probably nothing, considering she brought these mothers onto the stage to gin up anger. There is nothing good about doing this. There is nothing right about it. There is only political motivation behind it, and it is a tactic that will only divide further.