US diplomat recalls racial tension in Baltimore

WASHINGTON (AP) A U.S. diplomat opened her speech on Iranian nuclear negotiations talking about how she grew up going to civil rights marches and says her father once helped baseball star Frank Robinson find a home in an all-white neighborhood of Baltimore.

The recent case of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after sustaining serious injuries while in the custody of Baltimore police, has intensified a national debate over police treatment of African-Americans.

Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke Monday at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism conference on equality and civil rights in Washington.

She says that years ago her father went house to house to convince homeowners in Baltimore not to flee, saying that Robinson shared their desire for good schools and a safe neighborhood.